WA EXPERIENCES FIRST RAIN (PAGE 14)

Sweltering weather in the Upper West Region gave way to torrential rainfall last Tuesday.
The downpour, which happened to be the first major rain this year, has brought relief to the region’s residents.
For some days there were heavy clouds but it wasn’t until around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday that it started raining heavily with lightning and deafening thunder.
In the end, dirty and choked drains were neatly cleared and the stench emanating from them temporarily absent.
According to Mr Daniel Tetteh, the Upper West Regional Meteorological Officer, the rainfall recorded was 54.2 millimetres.
He explained that the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA) had predicted 963 millimetres of rainfall from April to October, when the rainy season is expected to end.
"The onset is expected to be the last week of April with dry spells likely to occur between five and 10 days during the first four weeks after the onset" he added.
Meanwhile, the Regional Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Bawa Seidu, has advised farmers cultivating yams in valleys to replace them with rice.
That, he said, was necessary since the yam mounds were likely to be swept away by the expected rains.
In the interview with the Daily Graphic, he said during the rainy season a number of roads and dams were negatively affected in the region.
These include Funsi-Kundugu, Bugubelle-Wellembelle, Ga-Wechiau, Franuo-Gwollu and Jirapa-Ping roads.
In addition to this, some dams, namely the Tassaw and Nabulo dams in the Sissala East and the Sirru Dam in the Wa West District, were being threatened.
According to Mr Seidu, education is currently ongoing for people living in low-lying areas to move to higher grounds.
“So far, reports indicate that some farmers are complying with the directives, but just like any human institutions, some are adamant”, he said.
On measures being taken to counter or ensure minimal destruction during the rains, the NADMO regional co-ordinator said a workshop for the Upper West Region would be held this month with United Nations agencies and other stakeholders to map out strategies.
"We think that with these steps being taken, we should be able to stand up to the task", he added.