Veep visit areas affected by floods

Accra, June 4, GNA- Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama on Monday paid a visit to areas in Accra that were affected by floods, to sympathise with victims and also assure them of government's concern for the development of such areas.

The areas which include Mallam junction, New Gbawe and Kwashie-bu, all in the Weija Constituency, were badly hit by the heavy downpour in the capital last Friday and over the weekend, resulting in lost of seven lives and destruction of property worth millions of cedis. Vice President Mahama expressed sympathy to the bereaved families and presented cash donations to them to assist in their arrangements and burial of the dead victims.


He said government was very much concerned about the welfare of the people and gave the assurance that all efforts would be made to ascertain the level and cost of damage and support victims. Alhaji Mahama however, noted that the flooding situation in the capital, though predictable due to the low level of land, people continue to flout rules regarding the building of houses on waterways, and block drainage systems with refuse, which had become a major cause of intensified flooding in such areas.


He cautioned the people to maintain a high sense of discipline, saying, "the current indiscipline in all sectors of the country is unacceptable and we must all join efforts to expose the bad nuts among the good ones to help build a healthy nation."


Alhaji Aliu Mahama stated that the situation should be considered as a painful learning process to all Ghanaians, adding, "we must learn to keep some of these preventable misfortunes out of our ways by simply becoming law abiding."


He asked the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to intensify its taskforce duties and ensure that all buildings on waterways were removed to allow free flow of water when it rains and further monitor road construction projects to make sure they conformed to acceptable standards.


He also advised residents leaving in waterlog areas and along the big gutters to vacate such premises, as more rains were expected in the days ahead and the situation may worsen. He assured the victims of government's support and intervention through the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and asked all residents to stay calm as the necessary preparation was carried out to assist them.

Sheikh I.C Quaye, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ms. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, MP for Weija Constituency, Mr Stanley Agyiri-Blankson, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Ms. Theresa Amerley Tagoe, MP, Ablekuma South and the District Chief Executive of Ga West, Mr. E.B Quartey-Papafio, accompanied the Vice President on the visit.


Mr. Agyiri-Blankson cautioned that most of the water that looked like gutters were major rivers that had been encroached upon over the years and these rivers could increase in volumes when it rains. He advised residents to support the Assembly's work by reporting unauthorised developers to the AMA or other higher authorities for appropriate action.


Some houses in the Mallam Junction area collapsed; while others had their backside washed away by the water, leaving their roofs hanging, while gutters were visibly chocked with plastic waste and other foreign waste.


Narrating his ordeal to the Vice President, Mr Leo Quainoo, a scrap dealer, who lost his 25-year-old daughter and 55-year-old wife in the flood said, he was lucky to be saved by a palm tree that he tightly grabbed when the unstoppable water gushed through their home. He blamed the intensity of the situation on the construction of a poor drainage system that had been channelled near his house and appealed to government to insist on its removal to prevent a recurrence of the situation.


He thanked the government and NADMO for the swift response to the situation.


Other residents at New Gbawe and Kwashie-bu had similar conviction that a lot had to be done to prevent people from building on waterways and dumping refuse in drains.