Government has spent GH¢450 million trying to resolve flooding in the country – Asenso-Boakye
The government has revealed that it has so far spent GH¢450 million trying to address the flooding situation in the country in the past five years.
Francis Asenso-Boakye, Works and Housing Minister, revealed this while touring some flood-prone areas in Accra following floods from Saturday night’s downpour.
Flooding has always been a situation over the years in the Greater Accra Region anytime there is a downpour.
The situation has often been attributed to poor drainage systems and other human factors, including the disposal of waste materials into drains.
But according to Asenso-Boakye, the central government is doing its part to address the problem and requires that other stakeholders including local authorities and citizens also play their part.
While giving assurances that the perennial flooding problem is being dealt with, he said local authorities must be bold to take decisive action on buildings sited in unauthorized places.
“What we’ve done is to provide some remedial measures, and that is to mitigate the effects of the huge running water. In the last five years, the government has spent GH¢450 million to invest in the expansion of the drains including digging deep and concrete lining and that is to increase the drain capacity to carry more stormwater… There are some causes of flooding; indiscriminate dumping of solid waste in our drains and the haphazard development of our communities [which must be checked]. Those buildings in unauthorized places should be removed,” he said.
Mr Asenso-Boakye further expressed confidence that the Greater Accra Resilience Integrated Development (GARID) Project, under which the government has secured $200 million in funding will help address the flooding problem.
According to him, the funds will help the government to among other things widen and deepen storm drains in the capital.
“Government secured a funding of $200 million to implement some interventions within the Odaw basin… We are about to start the construction under the project, which is an inter-ministerial project. I am very confident that when the project is finished, it will solve the issue of flooding within the Odaw basin.”
