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Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Minister of Works and Housing has admonished Ghanaians to stop disposing solid waste into drains to
maintain drainage capacity and reduce the likelihood of flooding.
The lawmaker believes disposing of solid waste into drains is one of the cause of flooding in the country hence the need to put a stop to it as soon as possible.
He said, “while the government is making effort to ensure flood risk is minimised, it is important to highlight that government alone cannot achieve this goal, it must be shared responsibility.”
In his address to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the June 3 disaster which claimed the lives of over 150 Ghanaians as a result of flooding and explosion of gas at the Kwame Nkrumah circle in Accra, Asenso-Boakye continued that, “it is therefore incumbent on every citizen to compliment the efforts of the government and be more responsible in manner we dispose of solid waste. Individuals need to desist from deposing waste in the drains in order to maintain drainage capacity and reduce the likelihood of flooding.”
He indicated that the Akufo-Addo led government has so far spent Gh¢450m in addressing flood issues in the country since taking over in January, 2017.
Asenso-Boakye however disclosed that aside the Gh¢450m spent, the government in collaboration with the World Bank will be investing $200m to implement the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project “which will mitigate flood risk and address sanitation and solid waste management challenges in the Odawn Drainage Basin where the unfortunate incident occurred.”
The Bantama MP added that while effort to procure a contractor for dredging the Odaw is under international competitive bidding, dredgmasters will continue with the ongoing engagement to clear solid waste in the drainage channel to make room for storm water and reduce the risk of flooding.
