President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to traditional authorities to stop allocating lands situated on waterways, wetlands and other flood-prone areas, warning that such practices continue to worsen flooding across the country.
Speaking during an engagement with the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, the President said engineering interventions alone would not solve Ghana’s perennial flooding problem unless they were complemented by responsible land administration, proper sanitation and strict enforcement of planning regulations.
“The problem of flood is not caused by rainfall alone. It is worsened when we block drains, when we develop over waterways, and when we build on wetlands. It is worsened by poor waste disposal, weak enforcement, and rapid urbanisation,” President Mahama stated.
He said government would continue to pursue both immediate and long-term measures to address flooding, including year-round desilting and expansion of drains, reopening blocked waterways, restoring wetlands, improving waste collection and enforcing planning and sanitation laws.
According to him, these interventions require close collaboration among Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), drainage and road agencies, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), security services, waste management companies and traditional authorities.
President Mahama stressed that traditional leaders have a critical role to play in preventing future disasters by ensuring that lands are not allocated for development in environmentally sensitive areas.
“I therefore appeal to Nii Mei and Naa Mei not to permit or support the allocation of lands in waterways, on wetlands, drainage reserves, buffer zones or other flood-prone areas,” he said.
The President noted that the recent flooding in Accra and other parts of the country resulted in deaths, displacement and significant hardship for many families. He extended his condolences to the bereaved and sympathised with all those affected by the disaster.
He also highlighted measures already undertaken by government, including the relaunch of National Sanitation Day and intensified drainage interventions in flood-prone communities. He disclosed that more than 50 kilometres of drains have been desilted, while work under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project is progressing in the Odaw Basin.
President Mahama further called on chiefs to champion sanitation campaigns within their communities and support efforts to prevent development on waterways, saying safeguarding lives and property requires a collective national effort.
