The Greater Accra National Disaster Management (NADMO) Director, Archibald Cobbina, yesterday toured some flood-prone areas in the Greater Accra to assess the causes of flood and the preventive measures to put in place to protect lives and property as the nation enters the rainy season.
The unannounced visit, which began 9:30 a.m., took the NADMO regional director to areas around Nima, Circle, Odwana, Accra- Graphic road, Dansoman, and Mallam.
The regional director was accompanied by some NADMO officers at the regional coordinating council. Hon. Archibald Cobbina used the occasion to express his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives at Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo region.
He assured the people of the government’s commitment to ensure that the perennial floods and their devastating effects would become a thing of the past.
“We have come here to see the difficulties that you face any time there is rain, but sometimes, these problems are created by us,” he told residence of Nima.
"Let us be citizens and not spectators as the president said, let us keep our environment clean and devoid from throwing rubbish into the gutters whenever it rains", he maintained.
Hon. Archibald Cobbina reiterated that President Akufo Addo had tasked him to protect every single life and therefore he had taken it upon himself to “Prevent Disaster than Managing Disaster ".
In a related development, effective today, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) will commence a demolition exercise to remove structures constructed without permits in the Accra metropolis.
The AMA in a statement made mention of unauthorized structures around the Odaw River, Korle Lagoon, Old Fadama among others, and has ordered persons responsible for such structures to remove them immediately.
Find below the full, unedited statement by the AMA
PRESS RELEASE
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) wishes to remind the general public especially all those who are putting up structures on government reserved lands such as along the Odaw River, Korle Lagoon, Old Fadama, the East Legon Green Belt, Mensah Guinea, Railway Station (around circle VIP Terminal), the stretch from Avenor to the Sikkens Bridge, Agbogbloshie ,Glefe and Chemunaa where structures were removed last year and left fallow to enhance the ongoing dredging project to remove them immediately.
Furthermore, hawkers who have turned footbridges and the under-pass of over-head bridges into trading points are to stop these activities now. All those who are selling on pavements and roads in the Metropolis are being reminded that their activities are contrary to AMA Street Hawking bye-laws 2011. While those hawking in the middle of the road are breaking the above mentioned bye-laws as well as the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act, 2008(Act 761) Section 29(2).
All are again being reminded that it is an offence to dispose of refuse, especially e-waste in water ways.
In addition, the unauthorized parking of vehicles on pavements and roads especially by mechanical shops and car garage owners are to desist from such practices and remove all vehicles either on repairs or abandoned from the shoulders of roads. AMA officials will clamp and tow such vehicles and surcharge the offenders for the cost of removal.
Finally, removal of such structures shall commence from WEDNESDAY MARCH 22, 2017 and they should know that constructing without permit is an offence punishable by law.
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