Next NDC Gov’t To End Perennial Flooding In Ghana – Mahama

The presidential candidate of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama says the perennial flooding in both the southern and northern parts of the country is due to the lack of effective planning and proper engineering.

According to Mr. Mahama, this can be fixed by engaging the services of experts and contractors who will be paid under the Big Push programme.

“Accra stands between the mountain range and the sea and when it rains the water has to find its way to the sea. But between the mountain and the sea is this big city which is unplanned with houses built on their water way so naturally the water backs up and floods the city.

“This is basically the problem and we need to get an engineering solution to it. Accra’s problem is engineering and also sticking to the planning rules,” he stressed.

The former President’s assertion follows various reports of havoc caused by floods in some parts of Accra and the five regions of the north.

From the middle of August to the end of September this year, parts of the North East Region have experienced massive flooding as a result of heavy rains, which were compounded by the spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso.

The incident resulted in about 13,469 people having their houses destroyed and some six others losing their lives.

While displaced residents have been moved into schools, churches, and temporary camps set up by the North East Regional Secretariat of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), authorities continue to appeal for help from philanthropists and other civil society organization.

In the southern part of the country, heavy rains in the past few days led to places like Adabraka, Sahara, and West Lands getting flooded.

As worrying as the situation is, the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMET) says the current heavy rains, which are usually accompanied by strong winds would continue till November.

But with poor environmental practices including the building of houses in waterways and throwing of rubbish into open drains still an issue, many have expressed worry that more rains will lead to more havoc and deaths.

Touching on the development, Mr. Mahama who was speaking in an interview on Woezor TV said his next administration will manage the flood issue when he is voted into power.

The former President was optimistic that the measures that will be put in place by his government will end perennial flooding within the country.

“Now we have local government authorities that are not able to manage the development of our communities and we have traditional rulers who are willing to sell any land even in river beds.

“So the problem is an engineering one and it will take some huge amount of money to fix it.

“We are therefore trying to look at the Big push and see how we can channel some of the money towards that.”

He further added that these plans extended to all parts of the country that experiences flooded and not limited to Accra.

“There are also problems in other places like Kumasi and we will look at all of that but the north is crisscrossed by the White and Black Volta and when the Bagre Dam is opened their tributes are flooded.

“But although that is a difficult one, we came up with the Pwalugu Dam so that before they open their Bagre Dam we will open the Pwalugu Dam to take up the water,” he explained.

Mr. Mahama has also wrapped up his tour of the Central Region which started on Wednesday, October, 14.