By Emmanuella Owusu
Ashaiman, June 11, GNA – The Ashaiman Municipal Office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has reaffirmed its commitment to flood mitigation through a combination of preventive engineering measures, proactive community sensitisation, and strategic infrastructure enforcement.
Mr Julius Tettei Awuye, the Ashaiman Municipal Director of NADMO, emphasised that although some environmental challenges could be overwhelming, the municipality had adopted a multifaceted approach to reducing the impact of heavy rains.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Tettei said a key component of the municipality’s disaster response strategy was the active management of drains.
He explained that desilting exercises reduce the volume of silt in drains, enabling them to absorb more water and significantly reducing the severity of flooding.
Mr Tettei urged residents to adopt a more responsible attitude towards their environment, including the proper disposal of waste, noting that behavioural change was essential to the success of disaster mitigation efforts.
He added that NADMO employs various educational tools, including flyers and pictorial handbills, to encourage residents to maintain clean surroundings and dispose of refuse properly.
“We know very well, as a department within the municipality, that floods can be controlled,” he said, adding that when rainfall exceeds normal projections, investments in preventive measures such as desilting drains help to significantly mitigate the impact on residents.
Mr Awuye acknowledged that public resistance to change remained a major obstacle to effective disaster management.
He stressed that while NADMO remained committed to public education, there was a limit to how much preventive work could counter the effects of structures built on waterways.
“When we come and realise that your structure is on a waterway, we will pull it down because we want to save you,” Mr Awuye warned, emphasising that the preservation of human life takes precedence over infrastructure.
The Municipal Director assured the public that the Assembly was actively pursuing legislative measures that would grant NADMO greater authority to enforce building regulations and deter future encroachment on waterways.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Emmanuella Owusu, GNA