Unauthorized structures on waterways to be demolished

The Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Dr. Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon, has announced that unauthorized structures will be demolished as part of intensified efforts to combat flooding across Ghana, particularly in Accra.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, Dr. Kuyon emphasized that addressing the country’s persistent flooding issues will require difficult but necessary decisions, including the removal of illegal structures and the dredging of critical water channels.

“To solve a problem, there must be some discomfort, so people will have to incur some displeasures based on the actions that will be taken to ensure that the rest of us are safe. Some structures will have to be pulled down,” he said.

Dr. Kuyon warned that restoring the natural flow of water bodies is crucial to avoiding severe consequences for affected communities.

“Those who have started filling these places will have to stop, and we will dredge these places to restore them to their original state for them to play the role they are supposed to play because the ecosystem is disturbed.

“If you don’t restore it, what it means is that the lives that are in this system will suffer. So, there will be dredging, there will be demolishing, and we have to do it when we have to ensure that the flooding that is envisaged is effectively managed,” he stated.

While acknowledging that Accra often takes the spotlight in flooding discussions due to the scale of the problem there, Dr. Kuyon clarified that other parts of the country are also affected.

“Flooding is not only peculiar to Accra, but it is because we see a serious problem in Accra that is why the conversation is always centred around Accra,” he said.

Responding to concerns about the fairness and technical basis for the impending demolitions, he assured that the process would not be arbitrary.

“We don’t demolish with a layman’s eye. We [have] engineers, technocrats who are going to be part of this team, [and they] are going to advise. Where structures are supposed to be pulled down, they will. Where it is possible to redirect the direction of water, and not necessarily tamper with people’s property, that will be done,” he added.