Works & Housing Minister Francis Asenso-Boakye (2nd right) inspects a drainage
The Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has reiterated government’s commitment towards providing the needed resources to address the drainage challenges being experienced in some part of the country.
Mr Asenso-Boakye was speaking to the media at Tamale during a 2-day working tour of the Northern Region to inspect some projects being undertaken by his ministry.
The Minister also assessed the major drainage channels in the Tamale Metropolis. Notable among them were the up and downstream of the Karalega drainage channel as well as the Gariba channel that connect many tributaries from the city centre.
Some suburbs of Tamale Metropolis have had recent perennial flooding following a heavy downpour, causing damage to properties, and affecting livelihoods.
Having observed the structural defects associated with some of the drains, the Works and Housing Minister said his outfit would engage its technical department to put in place plans to address the issues.
“I have seen that some undersized culverts need to be fixed or replaced to allow for free flow of storm water, and this working visit has given me that understanding to be able to engage the technical officers to put plans in place to address the Tamale drainage challenges,” he stated.
Flooding problems
However, he expressed worry about the dumping of waste along drains, which further exposes residents to floods in the event of rains.
“The drainage issue I have seen here in Tamale today is not different from the ones in Accra and Kumasi. Certainly, there are sanitation issues. I have seen dumping of waste into drainage channels, which impedes flow and cause all kinds of problems,” he noted.
The problems of flooding in major cities in recent time have led to lots of drains being constructed through various government interventions, with existing ones undergoing excavation, rechanneling and maintenance across the country, all in an effort towards reducing the perennial devastation of flooding.
Despite these interventions by government, the Minister said the establishment of an administrative and legal framework would be the long-term solution in the county’s efforts towards the provision of drainage infrastructure to nip the perennial flooding and its associated challenges in the bud.
This, he indicated, is the reason the Ministry is currently pursuing the Hydrological Authority Bill, which, when passed, will mandate it to develop a comprehensive drainage master plans to mitigate the effects of flooding and the protection of the country’s coastlines.
The Chief of Tamale, Gulkpe Naa, whom the Minister had called on earlier, expressed his appreciation to the Minister for his visit and concern for the people of Tamale.
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