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GHANA WEATHER

NADMO says it has more ”Safe havens” for flood victims

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By Nana Kofi Hammah

chamzblog@gmail.com

The prevalent and actual causes of flood hazards in the city of Accra have been a repetitive discussion on a yearly basis. A phenomenon that subsequent governments have attempted to curb but persists.

In a flood-prone informal settlement where about 62% of the urban population resides, which is Greater Accra, rainy seasons are dreaded because it has been the key source of human vulnerability, and varied attributions to its frequent occurrences are not lost on us as a people.

Unfortunately, it appears that efforts in flood risk communication have not always helped the public to prepare better.

Panelists on GBC’s Current Affairs program, FOCUS have called for a multi-stakeholder engagement and deliberate change in the attitude of the Ghanaians as a starting point to help reduce the impact of the menace.

The Meteorological Agency of Ghana however has recently, warned that there will be high tides in the coming days along the East Coast of the country. Head of Central Analysis and Forecasting Department of the Ghana Meteorological Agency, Felicity Ahafianyo speaking on FOCUS, indicated that,

“In terms of the start of the season the intensity of the rain will be from intense to moderate, to just a slight fall between now and May; once we have enough energy, we should expect thunderstorms of rains, which mostly will be accompanied by moderate rainstorms that are likely to cause some devastation”, she alerted the public.

Speaking on the program also, Herbert Djaba, a Land Surveyor expressing his views on some of the causes of flooding, identified a complete system failure in the design and architecture of drains built over the years as a major cause of flooding aside from the natural tendencies.

“Once we have consistent flooding, then there is a system failure in the design of existing drains”.

He, therefore, advised that there is a need to go back to the drawing board, “then we can move from what we have been used to and we know has not helped, to what we know can help mitigate the problem”, he said.

Gilbert Ankrah P.R.O for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly however gave some assurance that the Assembly is putting in place measures to deal with the issue of flooding within its catchment area. That is ASHEIDU KETEKE, ABLEKUMA SOUTH, OKAIKOI SOUTH sub metros. He noted that “through the GRAID Project, many storms drains will be redesigned and expanded”.

Mr.  Ankrah said a resilient strategy has been put in place and cautioned that a success story can only be told if the citizens will be responsible enough to support the efforts being executed.

He also indicated that because Accra is generally a low-lying area when it rains heavily, garbage from the upstream mountains comes down and that also is a fundamental challenge that needs to be addressed. By means of channeling all those waste into proper and bigger drains. And the citizens also desist from throwing rubbish outside especially, when it rains. Mr. Ankrah cautioned that such acts will be dealt with by law if one is caught. He further added that a lot is also being done when it comes to distilling and applauded the efforts by the Greater Accra Regional Minister for the “Operation Clean Your Frontage” which has many households distilling gutters and clearing refuse from their homes. A project he believes has been largely successful.

The National Disaster Management Organization, NADMO P.R.O, George Ayisi adding his voice to the call for citizens to be responsible, also acknowledged that they have received the weather report from the Meteorological Department on the nature of the rains that are expected to come in, therefore their offices from the regions to the zonal have been alerted to take steps to desilt minor drains and indicated that they have partnered some of the Assemblies to get this done”.

He also assured that the continuous dredging of the Odo River is still in progress and public education, to families around flood-prone areas especially, to identify ‘safe havens’ in times of a disaster has been enhanced. He mentioned a stadium at Korle Klottey, a Church in Adabraka, and some schools in the Communities, Churches, and Community Centers have been identified as ‘safe havens’ for immediate relief.

Meanwhile, some researchers have also proffered the harness and harvesting of rainwater, with the North East of Brazil as a case study, where about one million homes were severed with rainwater in times of drought.

Read also:

NADMO says boat accident was caused by violent windstorm

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