President John Dramani Mahama has ordered the immediate demolition of all structures built on waterways around Mallam Junction in the Weija Gbawe Municipality.
According to the President, this measure is crucial in addressing the recurring floods that have long plagued the area, leading to loss of lives and destruction of property.
The directive comes after Mahama’s recent inspection of flood-prone areas in Accra, where he met with city engineers, municipal authorities, and residents to assess the situation.
During the tour, he expressed grave concern over the uncontrolled construction of buildings and other structures on waterways, identifying it as a key factor in the frequent flooding in the area.
Speaking to city engineers and municipal authorities, President Mahama questioned the reasoning behind permitting settlements and commercial structures in natural drainage channels.
“The assembly here, how did you sit and allow this to happen? How did the assembly allow this to happen? And that is why you have the chief executive, have assembly members. They must be conscious of all this. These are waterways. Can you imagine the volume of water that this place alone can hold when it rains?
“And so if you fill it up and you say there should just be a drain passing through, the drain cannot contain that water. And so let’s do what we have to do. They should remove all these” he added.
He stressed the critical role of the Mallam Junction area in holding large volumes of water during heavy rains, warning that poor planning and unauthorized development would only worsen the flooding problem.
