?We Must Help to Minimise Floods in Accra

THE President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday took a tour of Accra, to inspect dredging works at the Odaw River and storm drain project at the Kaneshie "First Light" area of Accra.

These two areas are flood prone and cause a lot of damage to life and property anytime there is a heavy downpour.

To avert flooding in those areas and elsewhere in Accra, the Ministry of Works and Housing as well as Sanitation and Water Resources, have engaged contractors to dredge and expand waterway to pave way for the free flow of water when it rained.

The President's tour therefore, was to acquaint himself on progress of work at the Odaw River and the First Light area.

Although work is still ongoing, it became clear that the contractors are doing a good job that would ensure that Accra would not experience the perennial flood during the rainy season.

The engineers engaged in the dredging assured the President that the perennial flooding of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange area is expected to be brought under control this rainy season due to the intense dredging of the Odaw Lagoon.

They are confident that in the next 18 days the flood will reduce drastically at the area.

According to Captain Khan, one of the engineers of Dredge Masters working at the site, the dredging would create enough passage and storage space in the Odaw River to control flood situations when it rained.

So far, is estimated that over one million cubic metres of dredged materials has been removed from the river and encroachers as well as squatters along the drains removed.

Similarly, at the Kaneshie First Light, work on the construction of an expanded 630-metre channel that would collect water from the storm drain is progressing steadily.

According to the contractor, Vuluxx Company, the existing drain was about two metres wide which was small, and said that anytime it rained it could not carry the heavy flow of water resulting in flooding in the area.

The situation had resulted in the destruction of property and loss of lives in those areas during the rainy season over the years, and therefore, the current intervention is expected to reduce the flood situation.

It is worthy to note that there are about 21 dredging and desilting works ongoing in the Greater Accra Region which the engineers have predicted would reduce floods during the current rainy season.

"It is heartwarming to note that after Monday's downpour, there was no flooding at Kaneshie and its environs, one of the engineers noted during the President's visit.

The Ghanaian Times is delighted at the rate of desilting works currently ongoing in the Greater Accra Region and is hopeful that this year would record reduced floods in the city.

We commend the government, agencies and the contractors for work done so far and urge them to do more to prevent floods entirely in the city.

To achieve this however, there is the need for attitudinal change by city dwellers who dump refuse in drains and build on water ways.

The government cannot succeed in its effort to prevent flooding if citizens continue to be lawless and reckless in the city.

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