[ 2017-10-06 ]

Flooding will be a thing of the past – Accra Mayor
The Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah has
assured that the Akufo-Addo-led administration
will solve the perennial flooding problem in the
capital before its term ends.

Speaking to Joy News’ Matilda Wemegah on the day
floods inundated many parts of the capital after
an early morning downpour, the Mayor said flooding
will soon be a thing of the past.

“The president has indicated his intention to
resolve the perennial problem permanently and we
are working closely with the Ministry of Works and
Housing and in the next couple of days, we will
announce to the general public the steps
government has taken so far and the plans that we
intend to roll out so that we resolve this problem
permanently before the end of the president’s
term.

“That will solve the problem of the whole of
Accra,” the Mayor said.
Flooding has caused a lot of havoc in many parts
of the country following a heavy downpour, Friday
morning.

In Accra, motorists who attempted to get to their
various destinations in the morning were met with
muddy flood waters.

There were three accidents on the Accra-Tema
Motorway. Motorists heading to Accra from Madina
and beyond were left in traffic for hours as flood
waters on the Shiashie portion of the road made it
almost impossible for any vehicle to get through.

In the Ashanti region, one life was lost and a
six-year old girl is battling for her life after a
building collapsed on her during the five-hour
downpour.

Stories from the other regions are the same, only
that in those areas, no lives were lost.

The Mayor of Accra said measures that the
Akufo-Addo-led administration will roll out in the
coming days will surely end the flooding problem
permanently.

Mr Sowah, who visited parts of the capital worst
hit by the flooding said much of the flooding
problem is due to building on waterways, low-lying
areas and the fact that people still dispose of
solid waste into open drains.

“All these factors contribute to the flooding
and that is why we are looking at the matter
holistically. It is important we look at it that
way. The knee-jerk approach has never been helpful
to the people and we want to confront the matter
head-on and that is the assurance the president
wants to convey to the people,” he said.

But, the Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Kwame
Agbodza has cast doubts on government’s ability
to deal with the situation.

He said the problem cannot be solved within a
year.

“Go and check the budget and find out how much
money is in there, I think it is less than a
million and there is no way you are going to solve
the problem in Accra with GHS1 million.”

He said the most important thing to do, especially
if the case is one of the people building in wrong
places, then there is the need to find out and be
certain if more drains should be built.

“So that we don’t wait for the rains to come
then NADMO moves in and they don’t do much
because they are broke. So I don’t have any
hopes that in the near future, we are going to
solve this problem,” he said.

Deputy Director of the Disaster Management
Organisation (NADMO), Abu Ramadan says his outfit
is adequately prepared to deal with the current
situation.

He said although the previous government left a
huge debt which the current administration is
trying to settle, it is capable of dealing with
the issues.

“We are not as broke as not to be able to deal
with the challenges of today,” he said, adding
that NADMO is more proactive than it used to be.

The new NADMO, he said, is concentrating on
preventing disasters rather than managing them,
adding, very soon the plans it is putting in
place will manifest.
“Starting from next year, you will see a more
reactive, preventive mood activated,” he said.

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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