Accra Battles Floods: Task Force Unleashes Massive Dredging and Demolition Drive!

Responding to a directive from President John Mahama, the Flood Mitigation Task Force has initiated a comprehensive, phased dredging, desilting, and demolition exercise across several locations in Accra. This critical operation aims to reclaim vital waterways, restore natural drainage systems, and significantly reduce the risk of future flooding within the Greater Accra Region, protecting both lives and property.

The task force, led by Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Stan Xoese Dogbe, and Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Adjei, along with Coordinator Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah, has commenced its initial phase. This involves the removal of properties built along waterways and channels, demolition of poorly engineered bridges, and the dredging of heavily silted dams and watercourses. Key military personnel accompanying the team include Deputy Chief of Staff at the Army Headquarters, Major General Annan Glover, and Commander of the Engineer Brigade, Brigadier General Richard Kinny.

Operations began in New England, situated behind the Airport Hills and Mayfair Garden Estates, before moving to the Tesa Dam in East Legon and then Oyarifa. At the Tesa Dam, adjacent to Boundary Road in East Legon, the task force undertook the demolition of numerous unauthorized structures. These included illegal retaining walls and other developments built along the dam's banks, which had severely narrowed the natural waterway. Indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste and other activities by squatters had also contributed to heavy siltation of the reservoir and its drainage channels, drastically increasing the area's vulnerability to flooding.

Before the demolition commenced at the Tesa Dam, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Osei Amponsah, commanding officer of the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, addressed affected residents. He emphasized that the operation's purpose was to restore the waterway and mitigate flooding, urging their cooperation. Occupants were given the opportunity to remove their belongings prior to the commencement of demolition.

Immediately following the structural demolitions, dredging of the Tesa Dam began. This crucial step involves removing extensive silt deposits to restore the dam's original storage capacity and facilitate the free flow of water. The objective is to significantly reduce flood risk along the Motorway, East Legon, and surrounding communities. Authorities confirm that the Tesa Dam is a vital flood retention basin, designed to temporarily hold stormwater during heavy rains. However, years of siltation, encroachment, and uncontrolled waste dumping had severely diminished its effectiveness.

The Coordinator of the Flood Mitigation Task Force, Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah, highlighted the severity of the issue, stating, "The problem is that because people have built in this area, the channel has been narrowed. Water is therefore not able to flow freely to the holding area downstream, where it is supposed to be collected. Since the channel is blocked, the area cannot take in enough water. The water backs up, causing the surrounding communities to flood." He further assured that the exercise would extend beyond demolition to ensure affected waterways remain permanently free from future encroachment, including clearing debris, creating buffer zones, and establishing monitoring protocols with local assemblies.

Similar enforcement exercises were also carried out in Oyarifa and around the Mayfair Gardens. In Oyarifa, the task force demolished a block of apartments built directly over a natural waterway by a developer, which had obstructed its flow and disrupted the natural drainage system. Around the Mayfair Estates, a concrete-reinforced bridge constructed by developers and residents, also obstructing a natural waterway, was removed, with dredging now underway to restore its carrying capacity. Additional encroaching structures are slated for demolition in this area.

Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, reiterated President John Mahama's directive for desilting drains across the country to become a continuous, year-round exercise. "The President has directed that this should be an ongoing exercise. So, you are not just seeing us here today and that will be the end of it. After the demolitions, we will continue dredging throughout the year so that whenever it rains, the water will have enough space to collect. It will be a year-round exercise. The President has directed that we ensure the kind of flooding we recently experienced is not repeated in our communities," Adjei explained.

The Flood Mitigation Task Force is committed to clearing, desilting, and revitalizing the identified water channels, waterways, dams, and drains in these initial three locations before progressing to Phase Two. The second phase of this nationwide exercise is specifically planned to address challenges in the Weija, Mallam, and Laboma areas. This long-term flood prevention strategy includes ongoing dredging, inspections, and monitoring throughout the year to ensure drains, dams, and waterways remain clear, ultimately safeguarding communities from devastating flood impacts.