Asenso-Boakye outlines flood mitigation measures, including 19km storm drains

• Posted on June 28, 2021June 28, 2021
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Government has invested GH?450 million in flood mitigation measures in the past four years to avert flooding across Ghana.

The money was used to construct 19 kilometres (km) of drains and further excavated, re-channelled and maintained approximately 1,000km under the Drainage and Flood Management Programme.
Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye announced these while addressing the media in Accra to provide update on the ministry’s drainage and flood management programme.
The 19km of drains include the Kwesimintim drainage project, Haatso drainage project, Madina-Reco and culvert drainage project, Adenta drainage project, and the Agbogba culvert project.
Mr Asenso-Boakye said the government was implementing flood control programmes to improve settlement resilience across the country.
In that regard, he explained that government was pursuing financing mechanisms for the issuance of the commitment certificate for the implementation process to commence.
He said there was the implementation of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, being implemented in collaboration with the World Bank, to mitigate flood risk, and addressing solid waste management challenges in the Odaw Drainage Basin.
The Minister said Dredge Masters, a drainage desilting firm, would continue the drainage works in the Odaw River Basin while efforts were underway to procure a contractor for the deferred and maintenance dredging under the GARID Project.
Mr Asenso-Boakye said the Ghana Meteorological Agency had predicted heavy to moderate rains with thunderstorms in the months of June, July and August this year, especially in the middle and northern sectors, and urged the public to take precautionary measures as government implemented various interventions to halt unanticipated disasters.
 “The ministry has made some significant progress in the medium to long term amidst the limited funding to implement planned policies and programmes, but we need greater regard for rules and regulations governing our settlement planning and coastal development,” the Minister added.
  The Minister expressed concerns about the negative human attitudes such as indiscriminate dumping of refuse in open drains, saying, “Our safety and protection from flooding is a shared responsibility”.
Mr Asenso-Boakye underscored the need for the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to enforce the planning laws and building regulations to prevent construction along waterways and wetlands.
He said in places where the laws were flouted, the assemblies should take decisive actions to rectify the situation.
 He announced that Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Ghana Hydrological Authority to, among other things, develop a comprehensive drainage masterplan to mitigate the effects of flooding and protections of the coastline.
Mr Asenso-Boakye has said government is committed to completing stalled housing projects in the country.
“Government has resolved to complete all existing and stalled projects within the short term while implementing other medium- to long-term strategies that will ultimately increase access to adequate, safe, secure and affordable housing options for the low- to middle-income groups in the country,” he said.
The Minister said government was pursuing all available options for the completion of all stalled housing projects, including the Saglemi Housing Project, stressing, however, that government will not renege on its duty to ensure that Ghanaians obtain value-for-money in housing projects.
It is estimated that 60% of Ghana’s population need some form of government assistance to support them to access housing while 35% will not be able to access housing even with government support.
However, responding to this statistics, the Minister said government is putting in place measures to address the country’s housing deficit. He said plans are far advanced towards the establishment of the Ghana Housing Authority that will help complement the activities of the National Housing and Mortgage Fund in addressing the challenges of the housing market in the country.