Accra, June 19, GNA – Mr Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, Deputy Minister, Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD), has urged Metropolitan and Municipal (MMAs) Assemblies under the GARID project to clear structures found in the buffer zones of storms drains.
He said the Assemblies must bear in mind the greater good of the community and prevent encroachment of the zones to protect lives and properties along the Odaw River Basin.
Mr Korsah said this on the fourth day of the inspection tour by the Ministry when he inspected storm drains and water walkways that had been desilted under the Greater Accra Resilience Integrated Development (GARID) project in the Ga East Municipal, La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal, Adentan Municipal and La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assemblies.
The project, which is funded by a World Bank grant of $200 million dollars, is to improve flood risk and solid waste management in the Odaw River Basin and as well improve access to basic infrastructure and services in the target flood-prone low-income communities in 17 MMAs in the Greater Accra Region.
And as part of forestalling floods in the Capital, the Local Government Ministry disbursed Gh¢ 420, 000 to all the beneficiary assemblies.
The Deputy Minister expressed satisfaction over the level of dredging works were done, adding that the “Government together with the Assemblies would let people stay clear of the buffer zones because we are protecting lives including that of the offender.”
Mr Solomon Kotey Nikoi, Chief Executive, La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly, in an interview said: “We have already started pulling down of the structures. We are in touch with the Hydrological Service Department to come and establish the buffer for us and anything that falls within the buffer zone will go down.”
He urged the public to obtain a building permit before putting up any structure to avoid any heartache and financial losses in case of demolition.
Mr Daniel Alexander Nii-Noi Adumuah, Chief Executive of Adentan Municipal Assembly, after taking Mr Korsah and his team to various dredging sites, said they would pull down some buildings as they worked but expressed concern over the social pressure that would come along with carrying out such activity.
Speaking in an interview about a stream that had been dredged, he said: “We have this particular situation and we wished we had enough money to do some stone pitching along the banks, maybe to about 50 metres and it will help retain the water and direct the course without causing any erosion for the silt to get back into the streams.”
A total of Gh¢ 3, 746, 800 was disbursed to the Assemblies for the GARID project in 2022 and a total amount of $3, 250, 000 had been earmarked for disbursement over a 5-year period.
GNA