The Ghana Hydrological Authority says it will need $5 billion to effectively combat the country’s perennial flooding problems.
Speaking at a session of the Assurance Committee in Parliament on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, Dr. John Kissi, the Chief Executive Officer of the GHA, stressed that the amount was crucial for comprehensive flood prevention and management across the nation.
He also revealed that only GH¢92 million was allocated to GHA in 2023 under the National Flood Control Programme.
The authority considers the sum of money insufficient due to the severity of flood-related issues and the number of affected places.
“With the work that we’ve done looking at the flood waste challenges across the country, we estimate that we need about $5 billion across the country to address comprehensively the flood waste challenges that we have.
“That is looking across every city and every town in every region of the country,” he stated.
It is an indisputable fact that natural disasters such as floods can have significant negative consequences, including loss of life and economic damages, which cannot be entirely prevented.
A major flooding disaster in Ghana was the June 4th twin incident, which remains a painful scar.
The devastating floods claimed over 150 lives after an explosion following heavy rains.
However, proper planning can mitigate the disastrous aftermath, which the Ghana Hydrological Authority has promised to tackle only if the government allocates $5 billion to the authority.