Minister for Local Government, Decentralization, and Rural Development, Daniel Kweku Botwe, has urged beneficiary assemblies of some drainage works in parts of Accra to regularly desilt to reduce the level of flooding in the capital.
The minister called for the need to maintain and improve drainage infrastructure for the safety and well-being of the residents within the municipalities, adding that “regular maintenance of drains is of utmost importance to prevent flooding and safeguard our communities.”
He made the call when he interacted with some officials from the Ablekuma North, West and Central Assemblies during his working visit with the GARID Project Coordinator and the Chief Executives of the Assemblies.
The drainage and desilting work in the Greater Accra, under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID), a World Bank-funded Project is to improve flood risk and solid waste management in the Odaw River basin.
The project grant which costs $200 million is to improve access to basic infrastructure and services in targeted flood-prone low-income communities in the Greater Accra region and is benefiting 17 Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs) with 2.5 million people.
Mr Botwe said: “We have so far disbursed over $1,300,000.00 to the 17 GARID Project beneficiary MMAs to use to improve the operation and maintenance of secondary and tertiary drains in the Odaw River catchment.”
He said the grant was instrumental in supporting the Assemblies’ efforts to carry out these essential works, adding that he was pleased with the progress made and commended the dedication of the assemblies in executing the task.
According to GARID Project Coordinator, Dr. Kwadwo Ohene Sarfoh, “In our quest to improve the drainage system, we are reducing the vulnerability of our communities to flooding and build a more resilient city where this will go a long way to help achieve the project goal.”
He also expressed satisfaction about how the MMDAs had strictly applied the grant to improve the flood resilience of the city.
Mr George Cyril Bray, Dean, Greater Accra Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, said the GARID Project had brought functionality to the drainage systems and mitigated the risks posed by flooding.
“We appreciate the partnership with the GARID Project and remain committed to further enhancing the resilience of Accra,” he said.
The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources also supported the MMDAs with solid waste collection equipment and has been facilitating regular clean-up exercises in the communities, particularly those along the Odaw River channel.