Flood Mitigation Task Force tours retention ponds, flags encroachment in affected communities

The Coordinator of the Flood Mitigation Task Force, Brigadier General Forster Okae Yeboah, has led a team on a tour of identified water retention ponds and communities affected by the recent floods.

The team visited the Tesa dam near East Legon Boundary Road, Damfa, Amrahia, and Oyarifa as part of the inspection.

Brigadier General Okae Yeboah was accompanied by Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Stanislav Dogbe, Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Kenneth Adjei, and 15 Engineer Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Richard Kinney.

At the Tesa dam, the team found that the size of the facility had been heavily reduced by encroachers, some of whom had constructed illegal retention walls that have now been marked for demolition.

A slum made up of wooden structures and overcrowded was also found near the dam, and was identified as a health and sanitation hazard. The area has been earmarked for demolition, along with the illegal retention walls.

At Damfa, the team found that a retention pond had also been heavily encroached upon, reducing its size and its ability to hold rainwater from the Aburi hills. An official of the GARID project briefed the team on the situation in the area.

At Oyarifa, a developer with a set of apartments had blocked a water channel by building over it, and together with another developer, had diverted the natural flow of the water uphill. A number of inappropriately sited structures at the spot have accordingly been marked for demolition.

In a suburb of Oyarifa called New York, the team encountered a troubling development, where a retention wall was being built to divert water flowing uphill, which had caused serious flooding in previously dry areas.

The team also visited Kpeshie Lagoon, where the 48 Engineer Regiment continued dredging, and a major storm drain along Teshie Bush Road near the ICGC Temple East in Accra.

The tour forms part of the post-flood mitigation measures being undertaken across the country, following government’s directive to the Ghana Armed Forces to lead the exercise. The unit has taken delivery of excavators and tipper trucks to facilitate the ongoing works.

The demolition of encroaching structures forms part of the wider post-flood mitigation measures announced by government, which will target buildings nationwide found to pose a danger to lives following the recent floods.

Richard Aniagyei, ISD