A taskforce has been established by President John Dramani Mahama to fight the recurring flooding situation across Ghana.
The Anti-Flood Taskforce is headed by the Deputy Chief of Staff in Charge of Operations, Stanislav Xoese Dogbe.
The Legal Counsel to the President, Marietta Brew, serves as the Secretary to the Taskforce. Other key members include the Minister for Water Resources, Works & Housing, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei; the Minister for Local Government, Ahmed Ibrahim; the National Security Coordinator, DCOP Abdul Osman Razak; and the Deputy Director General of NADMO, Teddy Addi.
As part of its field activities, the task force conducted an aerial reconnaissance to assess flood-prone areas and collect crucial data for flood prevention.
Key locations surveyed included Weija, the Sakumo Ramsar Site, and the Tema Fishing Harbour area.
In an interview with the media on March 12, Stan Dogbe, Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of operations and the chairman of the anti-flooding taskforce announced that stricter measures would be implemented to curb flooding.
He also revealed that the Local Government Ministry, in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces, would immediately commence the desilting of major drains.
“The President, concerned about the persistent flooding not only in Accra but across the country, has set up a special task force to tackle the issue and minimize if not entirely prevent, floods, particularly within the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.
“Today, the task force embarked on an aerial tour to inspect critical drainage channels that require urgent attention,” he stated.
Brigadier General Richard Kinney, Commander of the Engineer Brigade of the Ghana Armed Forces, attributed the long-standing flooding problem to public indiscipline, especially among residents in flood-prone areas.
He emphasized that key measures, such as preventing construction in waterways, would be enforced to mitigate future disasters.
