The Minister for Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development (MLDGRD), Mr Daniel Botwe, has embarked on a tour to inspect and assess the level of work done in flood hotspot areas and the desilting of drains in some Assemblies.
He started the tour on Monday in the Ablekuma West, Ablekuma North and Ablekuma Central Municipalities. These are beneficiaries of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project.
During the tour, Mr. Botwe reiterated the importance of maintaining and improving drainage infrastructure to ensure the safety and well-being of residents within the Municipalities.
“Regular maintenance of drains are of utmost importance to mitigate the risks of flooding and safeguard our communities,” he emphasized.
He noted that the grant provided by the GARID Project has been instrumental in supporting the Metropolitan Assemblies’ efforts to carry out these essential works.
“I am pleased with the progress made so far and commend the dedication of the Assemblies in executing this crucial task,” he added.
He charged Municipal Chief Executives not to depend solely on the GARID fund but to use some of their internal generated fund when the need arises.
The GARID Project Coordinator, Dr. Kwadwo Ohene Sarfoh, expressed satisfaction about how the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are applying the grant to improve flood resilience in the city.
He noted that the desilting and dredging of secondary and tertiary drains in beneficiary communities enables the achievement of quick-wins to enhance the resilience of the city.
“By improving the drainage system, we are reducing the vulnerability of our communities to flooding and building a more resilient city. This will go a long way to help achieve the project goal,” he added.
He hinted that the grant scheme was part of the interventions being implemented by the project to help improve the operations and maintenance of priority secondary and tertiary drains in communities along the Odaw River channel.
According to him, part of the previous grant disbursed to the MMDAs have been used for the preparation of operations and maintenance plans, development of comprehensive drainage network digital maps and asset registers, procurement of equipment such as hand-held GPS devices, Schmidt hammers and laptop computers.
On his part, the Dean of the Greater Accra Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Mr. George Cyril Bray, said the grant from the GARID Project was an important contribution to the ongoing actions to mitigate floods in the respective jurisdictions where the project activities are being undertaken.
“This initiative is essential to maintain the functionality of our drainage systems and mitigate the risks posed by flooding. We appreciate the partnership with the GARID Project and remain committed to further enhancing the resilience of Accra,” he added.
The Metropolitan and Municipal Chief Executives expressed their gratitude for the support received from the GARID Project.
Grace Acheampong, ISD
