A 16-year-old girl has drowned in the Black Volta at Senyeri in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region after the canoe she was crossing with capsized.
Canoe operators said the accident was a result of the high current, which they say they have not experienced in over 10 years.
This was the first fatality following floods caused by torrential rains.
The teenager, together with other traders from Sawla had to cross the Black Volta to Senyeri and to Nakwabi to Sawla, when the road they used to a market at Gbeniyir got flooded after a downpour whilst they were still at the market.
The body of the girl was not found until Tuesday at the bank of the river.
When Citi News visited the scene, canoe operators were waiting to ferry people across.
The news team observed that materials of a contractor meant to construct a bridge across the river were left at the mercy of the weather.
Jeremiah Seidu, the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs advisor on the environment, lamented the development and called on the government to intervene.
He said the situation was affecting the livelihood of people in the area.
“These are times that we need the state to start dropping supplies like medicine and salt. Very basic things. Students cross this thing every day. This is suicidal. We need to put a helicopter here and lift them to school and lift farmers and their produce,” Mr. Seidu said
Mr. Seidu, who is also the Executive Director of Jacksally, an environmental NGO, also said the government must prioritise development to prevent the recurrence of such changes.
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