Government has announced a coordinated national post-flood recovery and mitigation exercise aimed at restoring affected communities and strengthening resilience against future flooding.
The exercise will be led by the Ghana Armed Forces, which will undertake a clean-up and restoration operation focused on improving sanitation, restoring public safety, and mitigating potential public health risks, including outbreaks of water-borne diseases.
At a press briefing on the National Update on the Recent Floods, the Director General of Joint Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces, Forster Okae-Yeboah, noted that Government is grateful to private sector partners for their support, including the provision of logistics, equipment, and technical expertise to strengthen ongoing recovery efforts.
He further indicated that enforcement measures will form part of the exercise, including the removal of structures erected within waterways or those deemed to pose immediate safety risks, as part of efforts to restore order and reduce future flood vulnerability.
Government has reaffirmed its commitment to the recovery programme, which is backed by a GH¢350 million allocation for emergency relief, reconstruction, and long-term flood mitigation interventions.
Spokesperson to the President, Felix Kwakye Ofosu assured that all displaced persons will be supported as affected communities are restored.
The decision comes days after a heavy rainfall ravaged a number of regions including Greater Accra, killing over a dozen, destroyed homes, businesses, roads among others. The situation has been attributed to several reasons including the erection of structures in waterways and unprecedented volumes of water.
It should be noted also that, the torrential rain was also experienced in other coastal West African countries including Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin and Nigeria leading to similar floods and deaths.
Source: Jubilee House/ Gifty Boateng