Accra, June 30, GNA — The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority in Parliament is calling for a dedicated committee to investigate the government’s handling of the June 29 3026 floods in parts of the Greater Accra Region.
The Caucus was of the view that President John Dramani Mahama’s administration had “failed to heed the lessons” of the June 3, 2015, rain and fire disaster at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra.
The June 3 disaster refers to the tragic twin flood and fire tragedy that struck Accra, on the night of June 3, 2015.
Following hours of torrential rainfall, a massive explosion and fire at a GOIL filling station near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle killed over 150 people.
Hundreds of commuters and residents had sought shelter from the severe flash floods at the GOIL fuel station. During the downpour, underground fuel tanks at the station were flooded, causing petrol to leak and float on top of the rising water.
When a spark ignited the fuel, it triggered a massive, devastating explosion that engulfed the station and surrounding areas.
Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps in Parliament House, in Accra on Tuesday, Mr Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader, said the House “must establish a parliamentary committee specifically mandated to investigate the conduct of the flood and the relevant government ministries and agencies in the lead-up to this disaster.”
He explained that the Caucus wants the inquiry to determine what the anti-flood task force undertook since its establishment, what funds were allocated and how they were spent, what mitigation measures were planned and implemented, and “why none of this prevented or meaningfully reduced the impact of foreseeable seasonal flooding.”
He demanded also that “all members of the task force step aside from their role pending the outcome of this inquiry.”
Mr Afenyo-Markin, also the NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu, said this is “not a presumption of guilt” but “a basic standard of accountability”, so the investigation can proceed without interference.
“Those found responsible for negligence or dereliction of duty must be held accountable,” he added.
“This House owes the people nothing less than a full and honest accounting of what went wrong and who was responsible,” he said.
The Minority Leader noted that parallels with the June 3, 2015, floods at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, when floodwaters mixed with fuel at a GOIL filling station and ignited, killing an estimated 150 people.
“It is this NDC administration… having specifically constituted a task force this year to prepare the capital for the rains that bears responsibility for the renewed flooding in the very same Odaw corridor,” he added.
He noted that a fire broke out at the Odawna Market near Kwame Nkrumah Circle on Monday as floodwaters submerged the area.
“Fire crews managed to contain the blaze without loss of life… but the fact that it came this close in the same neighborhood to a repeat of June 3 is not a coincidence,” he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin commended the Ghana National Fire Service for its response.
The Minority Leader warned: “Ghanaians do not need to be reminded twice of what happens when flooding in this city is met with the government’s complicity.
He promised that the Caucus “will not allow the government… to preside over a replay of the scenes of June 3, 2015.”
According to Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, the Minister for the Interior, Monday’s floods displaced 7,761 households, affected 38,802 people, and left 12 dead with seven missing.
He told Parliament that the downpour recorded 593.2 mm of rain, the highest monthly total since 1995.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Elsie Appiah-Osei, GNA
Reporter’s email address: [email protected]