The government has obtained World Bank funding to dredge the Odaw River for five years.
This was revealed by Francis Asenso-Boakye, Minister of Works and Housing, during an inspection of the Odaw drain works with Zanetor Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle.
He also mentioned that re-engineering work on the drain is underway in order to solve the problem of persistent flooding.
According to the Minister, this would benefit people of flood-prone areas along the drain.
“The major part of the problem here is layout, and it takes some massive construction and engineering, which I have already indicated to you that the government has secured some funding called the Greater Accra Integrated Development Project, which seeks to solve flood issues associated with the Odaw river base. That one is already going on. We are now in the process of recruiting experts and contractors.”
Desist from dumping refuse into drains
Dr. Rawlings also urged waste contractors who allegedly dump trash down the drain to stop doing so.
“As we enter the rainy season, people should be mindful about how they discard their waste and the subcontractors of waste disposal should not be dumping waste into our waterways because a lot of complaints from our residents are that, in the night, when some of these contractors pick up waste from the neighbourhood, they dump it into some of our waterways which is not helping, so it is an appeal to every single individual.”
For many years, the Odaw River has served as a waste disposal site.
In 2019, the government signed a two-year contract with Dredge Masters, a dredging company, to dredge the Odaw River in order to combat perennial flooding.
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SOURCE: ATLFMONLINE
