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Mr Samuel Atta-Akyea, the Minister of Works and Housing, has called for an attitudinal change among Ghanaians to curb the recurrent flooding during the rainy season.

Mr Atta-Akyea expressed concern about how some people disposed rubbish in drains, stating that until Ghanaians change their attitude, Accra and major parts of the country would continue to face flooding situations.

The Minister made the call on Wednesday when he was joined by a team from the Ministry, the Ministry of Sanitation and the Hydrological Services Department to inspect some flood-prone areas in Accra to assess the condition of the drains and prepare ahead of the 2020 raining season.

The Minister and the team visited ongoing Accra drainage projects in Mallam, Santa Maria, Tetegu, Agbogba pure water, Abeka Apenkwa, Asylum down Weija area, all under the 2018 National Flood Control Programme.

He said no amount of investment aimed at finding a solution to Accra flooding would work if people continue to dispose rubbish into the drains, and urge all to be responsive and stop the habit to stay healthy.

The Ghana Meteorological Agency has forecasted heavy rains this year compared to previous years, cautioning the public to adopt safety measures.

Indiscriminate dumping of waste, according to the Minister impedes the Metropolitan and Municipal District Assemblies (MMDAs) efforts in reducing flooding in Accra, and urged the authorities to be proactive and enforce laws on sanitation breaches.

Mr Atta Akyea expressed dissatisfaction at a three storey building in Mallam area along the water way and warned MMDAs to take proactive steps to guard against unauthorised development on water ways and rivers.

This, according to the Minister affected free flow of water whenever it rains and causes serious flooding, affecting lives and property.

“Our local government systems must wake up and perform their duties as expected. They must prosecute individuals who flout the law to serve as deterrent to others”, he added.

He said, “It is better to demolish an unauthorized property than allow a whole community to be submerge into water leading to loss of property and lives”.

Statistics show that four million people in the last 50 years have been affected by floods, resulting in economic damage exceeding USD$780 million.

Already, about 40 per cent of Accra is classified as "highly prone" to flooding and this will increase due to more building in the system.

Government has come under intense pressure for doing little to address the worsening flooding situation in major urban areas.

However, the ongoing dredging of the Odaw River is expected to mitigate the situation.

Mr Atta Akyea appealed to the public to keep the country clean in order to promote good health, adding that the task was a shared responsibility and not for the government and the MMDAs alone.

Mr Seth Kudzordzi, Head of Drainage, Hydrological Services Department said a concerted efforts was needed to address the actual causes of flood hazards in cities of sub-Saharan African countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal six.

He said work on the 500-metre double cell culvert drain at Mallam Junction was progressing steadily, stressing that other priority drains are located at areas such as Gbawe, Kaneshie First Light and Agbogba, while some minor ones are also to be constructed across the 11 assemblies within the Accra Metropolis.

These are among some priority drains that have been earmarked for re-engineering under the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area sanitation project that started in 2015 with a $150 million funding support from the World Bank.