Flood taskforce begins dredging, demolition across Accra

The government’s Flood Mitigation Taskforce has begun a phased dredging, desilting and demolition exercise across parts of Accra as part of efforts to reduce the city’s flood risk.

The exercise is being led by the Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations), Stan Xoese Dogbe, and the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Adjei, with support from the Coordinator of the Flood Mitigation Task Force, Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah.

The operation involves the demolition of structures obstructing waterways and drainage channels, the removal of poorly constructed bridges that impede the natural flow of water, and the dredging of silted drains, dams and waterways.

The exercise is also being supported by the Deputy Chief of Staff at the Army Headquarters, Major General Annan Glover, and the Commander of the Engineer Brigade, Brigadier General Richard Kinny.

The first phase of the operation commenced at New England, behind the Airport Hills and Mayfair Garden Estates, before extending to the Tesa Dam in East Legon and Oyarifa.

At the Tesa Dam, adjacent to Boundary Road in East Legon, the Flood Mitigation Task Force demolished structures built along the banks of the dam, as encroachment has narrowed the natural waterway.

Some developers had constructed illegal retaining walls and other unauthorised structures, while indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste and other activities by squatters living around the dam caused heavy siltation of the reservoir and its drainage channels, increasing the area’s vulnerability to flooding.

Before the demolition exercise began, the commanding officer of the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Osei Amponsah, addressed residents affected by the exercise.

He explained that the operation is intended to restore the waterway and mitigate flooding, urging residents to cooperate with the task force. Occupants were given the opportunity to remove their belongings before the demolition commenced.

Following the demolition of the unauthorised structures, the task force immediately began dredging the Tesa Dam, which serves as a retention basin for floodwaters. The exercise involves removing heavy silt deposits to restore the dam’s storage capacity and improve the free flow of water, with the aim of reducing flood risk along the Motorway, East Legon and surrounding communities.

The Tesa Dam is a critical flood retention basin designed to temporarily store stormwater during heavy rains before releasing it gradually into the drainage network. Authorities say years of siltation, encroachment, and indiscriminate dumping of waste have significantly reduced its capacity, prompting the ongoing dredging and demolition exercise to restore its flood-control function.

In an interview, Coordinator of the Flood Mitigation Task Force, Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah, said illegal developments had severely restricted the natural flow of water. He said, “The problem is that because people have built in this area, the channel has been narrowed. Water is therefore not able to flow freely to the holding area downstream, where it is supposed to be collected. Since the channel is blocked, the area cannot take in enough water. The water backs up, causing the surrounding communities to flood.”

He said the exercise would go beyond demolition to ensure the affected waterways remain free from future encroachment.

“After the demolition, we are going to clear the debris, dredge the area, and create a buffer zone where people will no longer be allowed to build. We will also ask the assemblies to monitor the area so that whenever anyone attempts to encroach on it, immediate action is taken.”

Meanwhile, the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, said that desilting of drains across the country would become a continuous exercise under a directive from President John Mahama.

He said, “The President has directed that this should be an ongoing exercise. So, you are not just seeing us here today, and that will be the end of it. After the demolitions, we will continue dredging throughout the year so that whenever it rains, the water will have enough space to collect. It will be a year-round exercise. The President has directed that we ensure the kind of flooding we recently experienced is not repeated in our communities.”

The Tesa Dam operation follows similar enforcement exercises carried out by the task force on Thursday in Oyarifa and around the Mayfair Gardens.

In Oyarifa, a developer had built a block of apartments directly over a natural waterway, obstructing its flow. Together with another developer, the watercourse had been diverted, disrupting the natural drainage system and increasing the area’s flood risk. The task force demolished the obstructions and a number of inappropriately sited structures as part of efforts to restore the channel and improve the free flow of water.

Around the MayFair Estates, the task force removed a concrete-reinforced bridge constructed by developers and residents that had obstructed a natural waterway. Dredging of the channel is underway to restore its carrying capacity, while additional structures found to have encroached on the watercourse are expected to be demolished. Authorities say the exercise is intended to restore the natural drainage system and reduce the risk of flooding in the area.

The Flood Mitigation Task Force says the nationwide flood mitigation exercise is aimed at restoring the integrity of waterways, improving stormwater drainage, and preventing a recurrence of the flooding that recently affected several communities across the Greater Accra Region.

Phase two will tackle the challenges in Weija, Mallam, and the Laboma area.