Works ministry, KMA clear drains in Kumasi
The Ministry of Works and Housing, in collaboration with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), has cleared a number of choked gutters within the metropolis as part of preparations towards the rainy season.
The exercise also formed part of the educational drive of the assembly to conscientise the residents about the need to constantly clean the environment, especially the gutters, to avoid flooding whenever it rains.
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The team from the ministry was led by the sector Minister, Mr Samuel Atta Akyea; the Deputy Minister, Mr Eugene Boakye Antwi, who is also the Member of Parliament for Subin, and the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Kumasi, Mr Osei Assibey Antwi.
A working team, made up of personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), moved from one area to the other, desilting choked gutters.
Areas
The exercise, which came off last Friday and Saturday, covered areas such as Alabar, Harper Road (behind the Absa Bank), Adum Melcom through Sanbra Hotel to the Central Market.
The team also worked at the Asafo Interchange through Asafo Market, the VIP Bus Terminal to Opoku Sika area on the Asafo-Stadium road and ended up at Pampaso near Kejetia.
In each of the communities, some residents joined in the exercise.
Stop-gap measure
Addressing the media after the exercise, Mr Atta Akyea said it was to prepare for the rains and help avert the flooding that usually came along with it.
He said with the prediction from the Ghana Meteorological Service that the country would experience heavy rainfall this year, the ministry thought it wise to embark on the project to clear the gutters before the rains set in.
The Minister explained that the exercise was just a stop-gap measure to lessen the impact the floods might have on the residents.
He condemned the practice of disposing of waste into drains which choked them and eventually led to flooding in the rainy season.
Drainage system
Mr Atta Akyea said the government was considering constructing a subterranean drainage system where people would not be able to throw garbage into the drains anymore and that would allow for free flow of the drainage water.
Currently, he said, a feasibility study was ongoing at Dichemso where the government intended to start the first subterranean drainage system.
He indicated that the engineering works on the project were ongoing after which it would be opened for bidding for the actual works to start, admitting though that, it was an expensive venture which would not be completed soon, as it was capital intensive and required lots of resources.