The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called on the government to publish a detailed account of how the GH¢350 million allocated from the Contingency Fund for flood relief and mitigation will be disbursed.
The amount comprises GH¢200 million for the procurement of relief items for victims of Monday’s floods and GH¢150 million for flood mitigation measures.
The floods displaced more than 7,000 households, affected 38,802 people and claimed 12 lives.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday, the Minority Leader, Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, said while the caucus welcomed the allocation to support victims, the disbursement of the funds must be transparent and accountable.
He also urged the government to ensure equitable distribution of the funds so that flood victims in regions outside Accra were not overlooked.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said compassion for victims and accountability on the part of government were equally important, adding that both must guide the relief effort.
He called on the government to publish a regional breakdown of relief and mitigation expenditure to ensure fairness in the distribution of resources.
The Minority Leader accused the government of failing to adequately prepare for the floods despite the establishment of the Anti-Flood Taskforce last year.
According to him, Monday’s flooding exposed weaknesses in the taskforce’s preparedness for the rainy season.
Mr Afenyo-Markin also attributed the severity of the flooding partly to the absence of an effective waste management arrangement following the non-renewal of contracts for some waste management companies.
He, therefore, called for a parliamentary inquiry into the work of the Anti-Flood Taskforce and the relevant ministries and agencies responsible for flood preparedness.
The Minority Leader further expressed concern about the risk of outbreaks of water-borne diseases, including cholera and typhoid, in affected communities.
He called on the Minister of Health to appear before Parliament to brief the House on measures being taken to prevent disease outbreaks and safeguard public health.
Mr Afenyo-Markin expressed the Minority’s condolences to families who lost relatives in the disaster and wished those injured a speedy recovery.
He also urged the government to intensify long-term flood prevention measures to minimise the impact of similar disasters in future.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
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