By James Amoh Jnr, GNA
Tema, Sept 17, GNA - The Tema West Municipal Assembly has cut sod for the construction of a storm drain in Lashibi, Tema to forestall perennial flooding in the area.
The storm drain, estimated at a cost of 2.9 million Ghana Cedis will be done in two phases – downstream and Upstream expansion, spanning from Community 17 Washing Bay to Community 16 Washing Bay in Lashibi.
Mrs Adwoa Amoako, Municipal Chief Executive, Tema West Municipal Assembly, Speaking at a brief sod-cutting ceremony on Monday, said poor drainage systems were some of the major challenges hindering environmental and sanitation security in the Municipality.
She said in promoting its overall development, the TWMA would leverage on the strides made by the Tema Metropolitan Assembly in environmental cleanliness, by further ensuring that chocked drains were properly desilted and poorly constructed ones, redeveloped to prevent flooding.
According to her, environmental sanitation issues had not been particularly the best in the municipality over the years, despite efforts by the assembly to improve the situation after its inception and to complement government’s commitment to improving sanitation generally in the country.
“It behooves on us all to start cleanliness from our individual homes through to the community by ensuring our sanitation conditions are improved, ” she said, entreating communities to inculcate habits of environmental cleanliness for the beautification of their communities and to further improve healthy lifestyles.
Mrs Amoako indicated that, negative environmental practices including; indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drains, creating of unauthorized dumping places, open defecation, erecting of authorised structures amongst others, were contributing factors to flooding with its attendant consequences.
Mr Osei Barimah, an Engineer at the Hydrological Services Department of the Ministry of Works and Housing, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the expansion of the drain had become necessary because of the one too many reports of flooding in the area.
With a width of 2.5 meters and a depth of 1 meter capacity, he indicated the drain is hoped to accommodate the coming rains and ensure free flow of excess water.
He said the construction, which would be in two phases would have an initial expansion of the upstream to be completed by close of 2019, adding that the blockage of drains over the time had been due to the accumulation of silt caused as a result of years of neglect and lack of maintenance.
“Clogged up drains with refuse and silt deposits results in reduced capacity of the channels which eventually leads to severe perennial floods” he explained, adding that the expansion of the drain was timely as an expected increase flow capacity would prevent overflowing to cause flooding.
Nii Out Blemanyo, Chief of Lashibi, in the company of community members, commended the assembly for the project.
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