Accra’s flooding needs long-term solutions – MP

The  Minority spokesperson on Local Government and Rural Development, Ameyaw Kyeremeh, has advocated the institution of long term measures to permanently solve the recurring flooding situation in Accra.

According to him, the temporary measures adopted by government have had little impact in managing the impact of the floods whenever they occur.

[contextly_sidebar id=”wCnP7eYcT7OzDa9gGMgdfulANI61Px9C”]Parts of Accra were flooded on Friday after a  downpour that lasted for about two hours.

Areas around the Odaw river were equally flooded with families living in communities close to the drain being greatly affected as they found difficulty salvaging properties that were soaked in the rain.

The situation has left many people questioning the efficiency of the interventions put in place after the June 3 twin disaster that claimed about 150 lives.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, the Member of Parliament for Sunyani East, criticized what he referred to as an ad-hoc approach which have had minimal impact in addressing the issue.

“We were thinking that after the June 3 floods and the works that had been done especially the dredging of the Odaw river, we wouldn’t be subjected to the spectacle that we have witnessed, but it has happened… it tells us that probably the approach is not the adhoc type that we have been doing all over the years; we need a long term solution,” he said.

Mr. Ameyaw further decried the delays in the completion of the CONTI project which government says it is repackaging the terms of the loan facility.

“But for the delays with the CONTI project, the construction of the drains and the necessary desilting may have been done,” he said.

Mr. Ameyaw however disagreed with comments suggesting that Engineers and Planners(E&P) may not have done a satisfactory job in dredging the Odaw river. To him, although E&P may not have performed to the fullest, their work may have contributed to a lesser impact than experienced previously.

He was however optimistic that the completion of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange may reduce the severity of the flooding since he believes some of the machinery used may have been mounted in waterways which might be preventing a free flow of running water.

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By : Pius Amihere Eduku/citifmonline.com/Ghana