John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, has questioned the government’s use of the $200 million Greater Accra Resilient Integrated Development Programme (GARID), given the country’s ongoing flooding in the Greater Accra Region and elsewhere.
The World Bank approved the $200 million GARID fund in 2019 to improve flood risk and solid waste management in the Odaw River basin, as well as access to basic infrastructure and services in flood-prone low-income communities throughout the Greater Accra region.
Taking to Facebook, the former president lamented that, while the impact of the $200 million has yet to be felt, parliament recently approved an additional $150 million for the project.
“Considering the huge sums of money allegedly spent by this government on draining the Odaw and other flood prevention interventions, the present situation is distressing.
“According to the government, $200 million was spent on the Greater Accra Resilient Integrated Development Programme (GARID).
“While the impact of that huge amount and its intervention have yet to be felt, parliament was recently recalled to approve another $150 million for the same GARID,” he lamented.
He further stressed that with how the government has handled the GARID project, they are not ready to find a lasting solution to the problem.
“This has exposed the government’s failure to manage and prevent floods effectively and evokes deep concern about its lack of a comprehensive flood prevention and management plan. Many areas that in the past were unaffected by flooding today become inundated with the least rainfall.”
