Mills Says No To Accra Minister

President John Evans Atta Mills’ government has kicked against suggestions from the Greater Accra Regional Minister and Accra Metropolitan Assembly to the effect that some 45 houses in the nation’s capital would have to be demolished to prevent the recurrence of floods in the city.

Instead of the ad hoc solutions being suggested by Nii Armar Ashitey, the President’s office said a comprehensive look should be taken at the root causes of the problem. Speaking on Joy FM yesterday, the Presidential Spokesperson, Mahama Ayariga, said the solution to the perennial floods does not lie in pulling down houses. The Presidential Spokesperson was reacting to media reports that, following recommendations by the Regional Minister, some 45 houses sited on waterways have been earmarked for demolition. “Clearly, the whole idea of going to pull down somebody’s house after people have worked so hard and used their savings to put up a home for shelter for themselves and their families is not an easy thing to do,” he said.

According to him, the floods over the weekend, which claimed seven lives, was such a concern to President Mills, who was then in Abuja, Nigeria, that he requested the appropriate agencies to use the occasion to develop strategic and comprehensive plan to avert future recurrence. Hon Ayariga further opined that the right engineers should be tasked to find a way to the problem without having to demolish buildings. The state media yesterday reported that an inter-ministerial taskforce formed by government after Friday’s floods has finally settled on the demolition of houses on waterways.

The taskforce comprised the Ministries of Local Government, Water Resources, Works and Housing, Roads and Highways, Interior, and officials from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council and personnel from the security agencies. According to the media reports, Hon. Ashitey made the disclosure during a visit by the leadership of the various authorities to the affected areas, saying an inventory of all structures and watercourses would be taken and all illegal structures pulled down. But Ayariga says demolition is not the first option in the matter; but hinted that it could only be considered as a last resort.

It is recorded that some parts of Accra, particularly Kaneshie, Mallam and Dansoman, were submerged after one of the heaviest downpours since the early 1970s. The Meteorological Services Department said it recorded 313.8mm of rainfall in the affected areas. Apart from lives that were lost, hundreds of shops and warehouses were also flooded, leading to loss of property valued at millions of Ghana cedis. While some people suggested that the floods were as a result of chocked drains, others blamed it on houses along waterways.