Meteo Predicts Early, Intense Rains

Indications from the Meteorological Service Department suggest that this year's rainy season would commence early with much intensity and duration similar to last year's. This means that prospects of flooding in Accra is high for most residents in flood prone areas in the Accra Metropolitan Area, Tema Municipality and the Ga rural.

The Chairman of the Anti-Flood Committee, Mr. Godfrey Ewool, who disclosed this in Accra, last Friday said the ongoing reconstruction work on Phase II of the Odaw drainage channel is likely to impose flood conditions in settlements immediately upstream of the Caprice bridge on the Circle-Achimota road. "Therefore", he said, "the prospects for flooding in areas such as Avenor, Alajo, Abelemkpe, Abofun, Dome, Taifa, Haasto, Kisseiman and New Achimota, are quite high".

He said whilst some flood prone areas may be considered out of danger as a result of recent infrastructural development, certain areas would continue to experience floods because nothing has been done about the flood control in such areas. He advised residents living in flood prone areas in the Greater Accra Region, to take measures to avoid the occurrence of the flood disasters that happened in the last few years. The Anti-Floods Committee which was recently inaugurated by the outgoing Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, has been charged to mobilize both human and material resources of existing institutions for flood management and control.

He appealed to the public to be vigilant and that any incident of flooding should be identified and reported to the committee for immediate action to be taken. He said seven monitoring teams have been formed by members of the committee and assigned specific geographical zones within which to respond to disaster signals. In addition to this, he said, safe havens have also been identified in each of the zones to cater for displaced persons should floods occur. The Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mr. Solomon Ofei Darko, also gave the assurance that the assembly is working around the clock to prevent flood disasters similar to those in 1995 and 2001 from happening. "We are putting all the necessary measures in place to prevent flooding during this year's rains." He announced that a special taskforce has been set up and adequately equipped to clean up flood prone areas in the city.