Buildings On Water Ways To Be Demolished

A building on a waterway being demolished

As parts of measures to avert the continual flooding in Accra, government has revealed plans to demolish buildings that are located on water ways.

The measure, according to government is part of short, medium and long term measures being undertaking to tackle the perennial flooding in Accra which has claimed hundreds of lives over the past years.

Samuel Atta Akyea, Minister of Works and Housing, answering questions on the floor of Parliament yesterday disclosed that the GH?5.5 million allocated to his ministry in the 2018 budget is being used to desilt some major drains in Accra.

He stated that in order to fight the situation, the Ministry in consultation with the Ministry of Sanitation, Local Government and the MMDAs have to undertake short term to long term plans to reduce flooding.

“Short term measures include, updating the Hydro and urban Geographical map and conduct of hydro geological studies on a basin by basin basis, demolishing and removal of buildings on waterways.”

Mr. Atta Akyea noted that the desilting of the major drains in Accra is ongoing and once the Odaw River and others have been dredged and the filths taken out of them, there will be easy flow – averting spillovers which are disastrous.

He however, pointed out that a permanent solution can only exist when the country’s economic conditions allow it.

“But for Ghana to have a permanent solution, we should go to places where we would not see filth floating in drains, we wouldn’t see sewage, everything is underground but it is going to cost this country a lot of money. But in the interim we are working”, the Minister indicated.

The sector Minister had, last month, assured the public that he will work to end perennial flooding in Accra during the rainy season.

Touring some flood-prone areas barely 24-hours after a downpour on Sunday February 25, 2918, the sector minister expressed his eagerness to find a permanent solution to the perennial flooding in the country’s capital.

“Bear in mind that all the forces of nature are such that we cannot control them, but we need to find a permanent solution to the problem,” he said.

“The master plan is there and I am going to push for the plan to be executed. We cannot be coming here every year as if we are condemned to repeat our mistakes.”

 

BY Gibril Abdul Razak

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