The Works and Housing Minister doing the inspection
The Minister for Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has expressed satisfaction with dredging works being done on the Odaw River and the Korle-lagoon in Accra.
The minister as part of his tour of flood-prone areas in the cities yesterday visited the Odaw and Korle Lagoon dredging sites being undertaken by Dredge Masters Limited (DML) to ascertain the level of works being done as the rainy season approached.
He commended Dredge Masters for the quality works being executed and said the dredging would help prevent any flood.
“As you all know I have just assumed office and I have started touring projects under the ministry. I am amazed by the quality of works by the dredging masters…These dredging works will prevent another major disaster,” the Bantama MP said.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment towards resolving the issue of perennial flooding, disclosing that government had spent about GH¢230 million on flood projects, saying “since the June disaster, the government has instituted annual dredging; that is why there is no flooding. It is obvious that government has done a lot in tackling the perennial flooding.”
He expressed concern about people whose activities were blocking major drains and water ways, saying that solving perennial flooding was a collective responsibility and called on the citizenry to be responsible, and charged the MMDCES to enforce the by-laws in order to prevent any potential flooding.
The Operations Manager of Dredge Masters, Sena Kofi Adiepena, assured the minister that they were working assiduously to prevent floods this year, during the rainy season.
He said with the extent of dredging works done on the lagoon which was the third phase of the dredging, it was most likely Odaw might not experience flooding this year.
“This third phase is to ensure that all deposits from the activities of squatters are removed to ensure the proper management of the lagoon, and also to facilitate the flow of water through the lagoon into the sea without any impediments,” he explained.
The minister, as part of the tour, visited the Korle-Lagoon dredging site, the IRECOP dredging site as well as the Odaw dredging site at Circle and Caprice.
By Nii Adjei Mensahfio