Dredging of the Odaw channel and the Korle Lagoon have begun as part of measures by the government to prevent flooding ahead of the raining season.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr Elvis Adjei Baah, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra on Friday, in response to a question on measures being put in place by the Ministry about the perennial floods.
He explained that dredging had already started on the Korle Gonno section of the Korle Lagoon.
“We are aware of the GMet forecasting about the rains starting early and will end late that is why we started dredging early as well not to be beaten by time. We have started the dredging at Korle Gonno, it is a working process and we will surely finish before the rains start”, he said.
The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has forecasted that there would be heavy rainfall between March and October.
When the Ghanaian Times visited the Odaw River and Korle Lagoon on Wednesday, workers were busy with their equipment dredging the lagoon.
It was also observed that human activities along the drains such as burning of tyres, and dumping of rubbish were blocking the drains, impeding the free flow of water.
The Head of Public Affairs of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Gilbert Nii Ankrah, when reached over the issue said measures were being put in place to prevent flooding during the raining season.
He said the Assembly had cleared illegal structures along the main drains, since the activities of such settlers create rubbish and caused siltation of the drains.
Mr Ankrah said the Assembly had provided waste bins along vantage points in Accra to help prevent people littering and throwing rubbish on the ground which block the drains.
“The waste in the Odaw River and Korle Lagoon is not only are a result of people dumping rubbish in them but also littering of the environment,” he said.
He said as part of the Operation Clean your Frontage, the citizens were being educated to clean the gutters in front of their houses and keep the environment clean.
Mr Ankrah advised the citizens to desist from littering and dumping of waste into gutters, saying the Assembly would deal ruthlessly with those who were caught.
Accra has suffered a lot of floods over the years, claiming lives and destroying properties, due to heavy rainfall.
The city recorded one of its worst flooding cases on June 3, 2015, when about 150 lives were lost.
BY CECILIA LAGBA