Heavy rains have rendered a number of major roads near Bawku impassable. The vehicles currently stuck there include over 20 cargo trucks, some transporting perishable goods to Niger. The problem apparently began with a road improvement project, started almost a year ago, that was abandoned after the contractor had built diversions around some of the culverts. Road flooding has been most severe around these diversions. Many of these roads are said to be relatively narrow, and if one car gets stuck, it becomes impossible for others, even with four-wheel drive, to get around. Victor Owusu, the Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Highway Authority, reported that his organization has plans to use gravel to raise the level of the affected sections of the road in the hope of permanently protecting the roads against submersion during the rainy season.