Former Minister for Works and Housing, Samuel Atta-Akyea says the government is still committed to finding a permanent remedy to Ghana’s flooding situation.
Speaking on Citi TV/Citi FM’s The Big Issue, Mr. Akyea explained that the government’s effort at addressing perennial flooding has been impeded by the destruction of culverts created to facilitate the easy flow of water during the rainy season.
The Abuakwa South MP believes punishing persons involved in the destruction of culverts is central to fixing the flooding problem.
“I do not think Akufo Addo’s government has given up on the issue of flooding. It will be unfortunate to say that the government has given up on flooding. We have committed more resources than any other government but the problem is deeper than people want to accept.”
“You do your very best this year and between the times you complete the exercise and the rainy season, a lot of mess has been created so it is not a situation of we abandoning what we are doing but we should make it tough for anybody to mess up the culverts.”
The onset of the rainy season has left several homes counting their losses after floodwaters destroyed a number of properties.
Residents in hard-hit areas had to abandon their homes to seek shelter elsewhere because the floodwaters entered their rooms.
In a bid to end the perennial flooding, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo instructed Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region to demolish all structures on waterways.
However, there are some who believe this move will not yield results, as fixing the flooding problem goes beyond demolition of structures on waterways.