Human activities are severely impeding efforts to tackle flooding – Works and Housing Minister

Minister for Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has lamented the series of human activities hindering the government’s efforts to curb flooding in the country.

Some of the activities he listed are filling wetlands and lagoons and dumping solid waste in drains that impede stormwater flow.

While briefing Parliament on measures to address the situation, he said another hindrance was local authorities’ inadequate enforcement of planning and building laws.

The minister said despite the government’s allocation of GHC450 million for drain construction and desilting since 2018, these activities have made addressing the recurring issue of flooding difficult.

“It has become more evident that human activities are severely impeding the government’s efforts to tackle flooding. The observation includes blocking of lagoons and wetlands with construction materials for development purposes, building on drainage channels and blocking the free flow of stormwater, dumping of solid waste in drains, thereby reducing their capacity to hold stormwater and the gap in the enforcement of planning and building laws by the various MMDAs,” Mr Asenso-Boakye lamented.

He added, “Cabinet noted the need to consider flooding in Accra as a national security issue since effective law enforcement has a role to play in resolving the issue”.

Meanwhile, environmental researchers and industry players have indicated that Ghana loses about $100 million in combating flooding annually in Accra.

They argue that government can avert this situation if it pays critical attention to plastic waste management in the country.