Gov’t to set up National Hydrology Authority to check flood

Government will soon set up a national hydrology authority as part of measures to deal with the perennial issue of flooding.

According to the Works and Housing minister, Samuel Atta Akyea, the Hydrological Authority will have the mandate of drawing up a flood management programme to stem the recurrence of devastating floods in the country.

Taking his turn at the Meet The Press series in Accra, Tuesday, he said the provision of accurate hydrological data and information for flood early warning is critical to the Ministry’s flood management and operational hydrology programme.

“In line with this, the maintenance and rehabilitation of 14 hydrological gauge stations and the maintenance of telemetry stations within the White Volta and Oti Basins have been undertaken to facilitate the achievement of the programmes’ objective,” he said.

The country has for many years, lost lives and property to floods across the country.

Last month, nine persons lost their lives after heaving flood in the Accra. 

The bodies of a husband and wife – both military officers – were among those retrieved from flood waters by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), after heavy rains.

S/Sgt Arthur Jabez, 45, and his wife WO Sarah Kuadzi, 40, was travelling in a military pick up from a funeral in Tema when their vehicle got caught in the flood waters at a suburb along the motorway known as Adjei-Kojo.

In other homes, it wreaked havoc and destroyed properties running into millions of cedis. 

Perhaps this will soon be a thing of the past as the Housing Minister told the press that government is allocating lots of funds to the sector to fight the perennial canker. 

According to him, in the Medium Term Expenditure Framework for 2018-2021 (Programme Based Budget Estimates for 2018) of the Ministry, government allocated ¢20,584,189 to tackle drainage and flood-related challenges.

In the Framework for 2019-2022 based for 2019, government allocated ¢45,710,330. 

“Of and concerning the 2018 budget allocation, my Ministry impressed upon the Finance Minister to increase the amount as measured against the enormity of the infrastructural problems related to flooding,” he said.

Mr Atta Akyea said on March 26, 2018, he signed a request for commencement certificate to commit government to a ¢200 million flood control projects made up of desilting/excavation and construction works, having due regard to the agitation of our party faithful for such manageable projects.