RCC, AMA, Dredge Masters initiate massive de-silting of drains in Accra ahead of rains
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), in partnership with the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), has put together a scheme to clear a number of drains in Accra of silt ahead of this year’s rainy season.
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Being executed by Dredge Masters Limited, the exercise is part of measures to prevent the drainage systems in the capital from becoming choked during the season.
In all, 22 drains in some flood-prone areas in Accra are expected to be cleared of silt in two months.
An inspection team from the RCC and the AMA last Friday toured areas such as Kaneshie, Sukura, Osu Klottey and Chemu, where the clearing had begun.
The team was led by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Ishmael Ashittey, and the Chief Executive of the AMA, Mr Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah.
With them were officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and Dredge Masters Limited.
The tour made it possible for officials of the AMA and the RCC to brief the media about some of the government’s interventions ahead of the rainy season.
AMA prepared
Addressing the media after the tour, Nii Sowah said the AMA, as part of measures to avert possible disasters, would carry out a number of interventions to avert flooding this year.
Some of the interventions, he said, included the clearing of all drains in Accra of silt and public education on good sanitation practices.
“We all know the attitude of some of the people. A lot of times they carry out their plastic waste and throw it into the drains. When this happens, it makes it entirely difficult for the rainwater to flow,” he said.
Nii Sowah also said the AMA would see to it that the waste management companies in charge of collection of waste at various places delivered on their mandate by collecting the waste regularly.
He said although the AMA would come up with measures to address flooding, more would depend on the support of the public to address the problem of flooding in Accra.
More interventions
Mr Ashittey, for his part, said since flooding had become one of the major problems militating against Ghana’s quest to attain its development goals, “the government is more determined to find lasting solutions to the problem”.
“In Accra, when it rains, many parts of the city get flooded, leading to the loss of lives and properties. This is unacceptable and we intend to address this problem,” he said.
Over the past years, various governments have come up with interventions to address the problem, although little has been achieved.
“We are currently dialoguing with some stakeholders to come up with a solid mechanism to address the problem, but until then we must ensure that drains in the cities are properly de-silted,” he said.
Mr Ashittey said the issue of flooding needed proper funding, adding that the government would look for avenues to generate the needed funds to address the problem in the future.
He commended the AMA for the quick intervention to clear all the drainage systems in the city of silt ahead of the rains.
Dredge Masters determined
The Operations Manager of Dredge Masters Limited, Mr Sena Adiepena, said the company had signed a contract with the AMA to undertake an emergency clearing of drains in Accra.
He said the exercise would be undertaken at all the major flood-prone areas in the city, adding that the company had already begun the work and would complete it before the rains set in.
Nii Armah Ashitey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, explaining a point to some journalists after the inspection of some dredging sites in Accra. Picture: EDNA ADU-SERWAA
