Dan Botwe inspects ongoing desilting works in parts of Accra

The Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), Dan Botwe, has assured Ghanaians that local assemblies in Accra are on top of issues in flood-prone areas.

He said the assemblies had been empowered to do so by the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project.

Mr Botwe said this when he paid a working visit to the beneficiary Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies (MMAs) of the GARID Project to assess the progress of the ongoing desilting works on local drains in the Assemblies.

Some of the Municipalities visited included Ablekuma West and Ablekuma North.

“The GARID project is used to address the infrastructural needs of the 17 districts of the Odaw basin. So, in collaboration with the Ministry of Work and Housing and the Ministry of Water and Natural Resources, we provide support to the assemblies. Last year, over GHS3 million was given to the assemblies, and this year, about GHS7 million has been given to them to help address some of these problems, such as desilting, drainage planning, and ensuring that they regularly desilt.”

“The most important thing is that citizens can be assured that the district assemblies are very clear about identifying flood hotspots, and they know what needs to be done. With the limited funds, what has been given to them is being used judiciously to alleviate the problems facing citizens,” he stated.

Mr Botwe reiterated the importance of maintaining and improving drainage infrastructure to ensure the safety and well-being of residents in the Municipalities.