KoKMA desilts drains ahead of rainy season
Dredging and routine cleaning works have begun within Klottey Korle to avert the perennial flooding experienced in the municipality.
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The Klottey Lagoon in Osu and storm drains in Osu Alata and Kinkawe, close to the Asomdwe Park, Asylum Down and trapezoidal drain at Ridge have been desilted and cleaned.
Also, covered storm drains and underground culverts, including the open earth channel along the Odawna Market and Sahara Park have also been desilted and cleaned.
The exercise is being undertaken by the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA) and funded from its internally generated fund.
Observation
The Daily Graphic has observed that some drains at Adabraka and surrounding areas have been desilted.
Also, the storm drains in Osu, Asylum Down and the Asomdwe Park have also been cleaned with all the debris collected from the site.
Routine dredging
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of KoKMA, Samuel Nii Adjei Tawiah, told the Daily Graphic that the dredging of the Klottey Lagoon was part of measures to prevent flooding during the rainy season.
He said the exercises were also geared towards addressing sanitation issues within the municipality.
He noted that the assembly would routinely desilt and clean covered drains at Adabraka and Odawna, and storm drains at Osu to allow for the free flow of water when it rained.
Mr Tawiah, however, urged community members to desist from dumping solid waste into the drains, since it was costly to routinely clean the drains.
“These exercises are what we normally do before the rainy season sets in, however, this time around it is more intense because majority of the residents continue to dump their refuse into the drains despite the massive education done,” he said.
He said the assembly would on its part work to ensure that the drains were desilted and cleaned, adding that they would enforce the sanitation bye-laws by punishing persons who indiscriminately dumped refuse in the drains.
Measures
The MCE mentioned that due to the geographical location of the municipality, water from the mountainous zones flowed through the municipality into the sea, contributing to the perennial floods.
To address the situation, he said the assembly had expanded most of the drains which led into the Odaw and had also dredged the Korle Lagoon and some other drains at Osu and Adabraka.
He added that the Disaster Management Committee at the assembly had also met and instituted certain measures, such as having a safe haven, to keep people safe during the rainy season.
Mr Tawiah gave an assurance that the preventive action taken would help avert the levels of flooding that displaced a lot of people in the municipality in the past.
He, however, advised people living in very low-lying areas to take precautionary measures to protect their property.
“We will continue to create awareness, even in the dry season, of how people can be safe in the communities during the rainy season, but people must also take precautionary measures to protect their property,” he said.
