President John Dramani Mahama has warned that public officials who approved building permits within the Weija Dam spillway area will be dismissed if investigations establish their involvement in the controversial developments blamed for persistent flooding in parts of Accra.
Speaking during an engagement with members of the Ghanaian community in London on Sunday, May 31, the President expressed anger over the increasing number of buildings springing up in waterways and flood-prone zones surrounding the Weija Dam.
According to him, some officials within local assemblies and planning authorities knowingly authorised construction in restricted areas meant for the safe discharge of excess water from the dam.
“We need to punish those who signed the permit for that,” President Mahama declared.
“I’ve told the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to find out who signed these permits. We will not transfer them to the north, we will sack them,” he added.
The President blamed weak enforcement, poor urban planning, and negligence on the part of local authorities for the recurring flooding situation affecting downstream communities whenever the spillway is opened.
“Part of the problem is the local councils and assemblies. You find a house in a waterway, and somebody signed a permit for them to build there,” he stated.
President Mahama explained that some lands around the spillway are sold during the dry season and later become disaster zones when heavy rains force authorities to release excess water from the dam.
“During the dry season, people sell the land, and people build on it, but when the rains come, it becomes a disaster,” he noted.
His comments come in the wake of recent flooding incidents in communities such as Tetegu, Oblogo, and nearby areas following the opening of the Weija Dam spillway due to rising water levels. Several homes were submerged while many residents were displaced.
The President disclosed that the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has been directed to investigate how permits were issued for developments within waterways and restricted flood zones.
Mahama stressed that the government would no longer tolerate negligence from public officers whose actions endanger lives and properties, warning that officials found culpable would face severe sanctions, including dismissal.
