Heavy Rains Cause Major Destruction to Kaleo-Nadowli Road

A heavy downpour in Kaleo, a major town in the Nadowli-Kaleo District, on Saturday, caused serious destruction to the trunk road from Kaleo to Nadowli. The part of the road that witnessed major damage is between Kaleo and Nadowli roads, opposite the Kaleo dam. The rain washed away heaps of gravel on that side of the road, leaving the road vulnerable to the dam breaking its bank. The opposite side of the dam, which experienced the damage, made the main road impassable to vehicles coming from the opposite direction. According to the assembly member for the Kaleo East Electoral Area, Mr. Fusca Ningkpeng, the Kaleo dam overflowed its banks after the downpour and, in the process, washed away gravel heaped to protect the road and the dam. Mr. Fusca Ningkpeng, speaking to Info Radio, called on regional authorities and the Nadowli-Kaleo district assembly to expedite action to forestall any more damage to that part of the road by reinforcing the washed-away road banks. Mr. Ningkpeng also revealed to Info Radio that the rain also destroyed farms and gardens along the road, leaving the affected farmers in despair. The Kaleo East Assembly member blamed the disaster on the failure of the government to desilt the Kaleo dam. According to him, the current state of the dam does not enable it to hold much water. The Assembly explained that the lack of gutters along the main road in the community is also adversely affecting the lives of the people. He explained that due to the lack of gutters, rainwater is gradually chopping off people's buildings and appealed to the authorities for infrastructural assistance.

Meanwhile, the Upper West Regional minister together with the District Executive for for the Nadolwli- Kaleo district and teams of road engineers visited the site of the destruction to ascertain the extend of damage and find out possible ways on how to fix the road.