We have to dredge Korle Lagoon to end perennial flooding - Mayor of Accra

The Mayor of Accra, Mohammed Adjei Sowah has said, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) have enough measures in place to manage the perennial flooding in the capital especially the Odawna area.

According to him, the perennial flooding has minimized due to the measures adopted by the assembly. He was reacting to the flooding in some parts of Accra including Taifa, Kaneshie, Adenta, Amasaman, and Adabraka Sahara after few hours of a heavy downpour Monday evening.

He told the media after touring some affected areas that, "the water was filled to the brim and there was a spill over. It is also because the sea level has also risen so the water could not also get into the sea. And for that matter, there was a gush back of the water into the city centre. That caused the flooding around the Adabraka Sahara."

The AMA boss had told the media Adabraka Sahara was not going to flood again due to the dredging done. However, the downpour on Monday flooded the area. Commenting on it, the AMA boss said, we put in all the measures that we could possibly do. But the panacea to the problem is to dredge the Korle lagoon because that is the main canal that carries the water into the sea.

At the moment, it is filled with debris and silt. And so, its capacity to absorb water has been reduced drastically, and that is the main problem. We have done our part. His Excellency the president is also quite committed; we’ve managed to secure a world bank funding under the Greater Accra Resilient Integrated Project to deal with that matter.’’

Practically, the initiative is ongoing to guarantee Accra becomes more resilient to shocks and stresses such as fires, earthquakes, floods, disease outbreaks and infrastructure and building collapse that weaken the fabric of a city.