Minority summons minister over floods

The Minority in Parliament has invited the Minister of Works and Housing to brief the House on the steps the Ministry was taking to reduce the impact of floods in Accra.

According to the Minority, the recent rains in Accra, “if it is anything to go by, should be a wake-up call to government to put in the necessary measures to avert the perennial flooding in the capital”.

Mr Governs Kwame Agbodza, Member of Parliament for Adaklu made the call when he spoke to the media in Parliament.

Mr Agbodza has filed an urgent question in Parliament to summon the Minister to brief the House on measures the Ministry was taking to prevent flooding in the capital during the raining season.

Accra, which is a low-lying area, experiences flooding yearly mainly because of the haphazard construction of houses, especially on water courses, the poor drainage system and a poor waste management challenge that leads to residents turning drains into refuse dumps.

Mr Agbodza also expressed concern that, so far there is no clear-cut policy from government to tackle the perennial flooding problem in the capital.

He said however that government has the opportunity to take right measures to reduce the negative impact of the floods on the citizenry.

“Let’s not wait for it to come and then read another tribute in Parliament, give people State burial or put people in agony, we have the opportunity to actually correct the problem before the floods” he added.

Mr Agbodza further charged the government to take steps to desilt the drains, remove unauthorised structures and complete the various drainage projects to improve the flow of water during the rains.

He said with the provision of a good Forecasting Weather System, the government should be able to provide timely information and educate the public on the climate.