Five dead in Accra after torrential rain and floods, 3000 houses affected

A downpour that struck the Accra metropolis and surrounding areas on Sunday caused floods that resulted in at least five deaths, affecting 3000 houses and sweeping away scores of cars.

The Ghanatodayonline.com has learned that at least three additional people perished in the process at Adenta, although the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) reported that only one person died when he was swept away by the devastating flash floods while riding a bicycle in Abokobi.

These were revealed yesterday during a visit of certain flood-affected areas in Accra, primarily the Odawna Sahara Park, by NADMO officials and the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KoKMA), which is led by its Chief Executive, Mr. Alfred Allotey Gaisie.

During the visit, Mr. Hendrick Noble Kinnah, the KoKMA NADMO Coordinator, explained that the overflow of the Odaw River was the cause of the floods that followed the weekend’s rainfall and had been ongoing for years.

He said that in order to help address the problem of perennial flooding inside the municipality, a report on the recurring flooding in the municipality and flood-prone areas had been developed and would be given to KoKMA.

Mr. Gaisie promised that KoKMA would resolve the issue in a way that would last, which included building a drainage system in the area.

“It is time for us to look at the drainage system and what we need to do about it. Go­ing forward, we have decided to fix this once and for all, either from the Common Fund or our own Internal Generated Fund. We are going to put it in our budget for next year and see how best we can minimise the flooding,” Mr Gaisie stated.

Since the majority of the debris collected from the upstream ended at KoKMA, Mr. Gaisie stated that KoKMA needed to work with sister assemblies to help alleviate the municipality’s flooding problem.

“If you will notice, most of the drain­age at Alajo and other areas have been constructed. So they have a bigger volume to contain. But here at Odawna, the grass and the earthing materials are always full, so the water does not get space to flow, So we have decided to widen the drainage and concrete it,” he emphasised.

The Ghana Meteorological Authority has issued a warning about more rainfall as the nation approaches the height of the first rainy season phase, which begins in April and lasts until July.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com