The Flood Mitigation Task Force has launched a comprehensive phased operation across various locations in Accra, targeting watercourses and drainage channels that have been compromised by encroachment and illegal developments.
The exercise, which commenced at New England, behind Airport Hills and Mayfair Garden Estates, continued to the Tesa Dam area in East Legon and Oyarifa, is being led by the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Stan Xoese Dogbe, and the Minister of Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Adjei.
The team, accompanied by the Coordinator of Works, Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah; Deputy Chief of Staff at Army Headquarters, Major General Annan Glover, and Commander of the Engineer Brigade, Brigadier General Richard Kinny, is removing unauthorised structures along watercourses, poorly engineered bridges and undertaking extensive dredging of silted dams and channels.
Tesa Dam Operation
At the Tesa Dam, located adjacent to Boundary Road in East Legon, the task force demolished structures built along the banks of the reservoir, which serves as a critical flood retention basin designed to temporarily store stormwater during heavy rains before releasing it gradually into the drainage network.
Authorities said encroachment had significantly narrowed the natural watercourse, with developers constructing illegal retaining walls and other unauthorised structures.
The situation was compounded by indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste and other activities by squatters living around the dam, which caused heavy siltation of the reservoir and its drainage channels.
Before the demolition commenced, the commanding officer of the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Osei Amponsah, addressed residents affected by the exercise, explaining that the operation was intended to restore the waterway and mitigate flooding.
Occupants were given the opportunity to remove their belongings before the demolition commenced.
Dredging and Restoration
Following the demolition of unauthorised structures, the task force immediately began dredging the Tesa Dam, removing heavy silt deposits to restore the dam's storage capacity and improve the free flow of water.
The exercise aims to reduce flood risk along the Accra-Tema Motorway, East Legon and surrounding communities.
In an interview, the Coordinator of the Flood Mitigation Task Force, Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah, explained that illegal developments had severely restricted the natural flow of water.
"The problem is that because people have built in this area, the channel has been narrowed. Water is, therefore, not able to flow freely to the holding area downstream, where it is supposed to be collected," he stated.
"Since the channel is blocked, the area cannot take in enough water. The water pushes up, causing the surrounding communities to flood," he added.
Brigadier General Okae-Yeboah said the exercise would go beyond demolition to ensure the affected watercourses remained free from future encroachment.
"After the demolition, we are going to clear the debris, dredge the area, and create a buffer zone where people will no longer be allowed to build. We will also ask the assemblies to monitor the area so that whenever anyone attempts to encroach on it, immediate action is taken," he said.
Government Commitment
The Minister of Works, Housing and Water Resources disclosed that desilting of drains across the country would become a continuous exercise under a directive from President John Dramani Mahama.
"The President has directed that this should be an ongoing exercise. So, you are not just seeing us here today and that will be the end of it. After the demolitions, we will continue dredging throughout the year so that whenever it rains, the water will have enough space to collect," Mr Adjei stated.
"It will be a year-round exercise. The President has directed that we ensure the kind of flooding we recently experienced is not repeated in our communities," he added.
Oyarifa and Mayfair Operations
The Tesa Dam operation followed similar enforcement exercises carried out by the task force on Thursday in Oyarifa and around the Mayfair Gardens.
In Oyarifa, a developer had constructed a block of apartments directly over a natural watercourse, obstructing its flow.
Together with another developer, the watercourse had been diverted, disrupting the natural drainage system and increasing the area's flood risk.
The task force demolished the obstructions and a number of inappropriately sited structures as part of efforts to restore the channel.
Around the Mayfair Estates, the task force removed a concrete-reinforced bridge constructed by developers and residents that had obstructed a natural waterway.
Dredging of the channel got underway to restore its carrying capacity, while additional structures found to have encroached on the watercourse were expected to be demolished.
Future plans
The Flood Mitigation Task Force said the nationwide flood mitigation exercise was aimed at restoring the integrity of watercourses, improving stormwater drainage and preventing a recurrence of the flooding that recently affected several communities across the Greater Accra Region.
After completing operations at the three locations, the team will move to phase two, which will tackle challenges at Weija, Mallam, and the Laboma area.
