Gov’t inaction caused massive June 29 floods – Ahiagbah

The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has accused the government of failing to act on early warnings from the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) ahead of the June 29 floods that affected seven regions and claimed about 13 lives.

According to him, the disaster could have been mitigated if the government had taken proactive measures after receiving warnings about the likelihood of intense rainfall during the season.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, July 9, Ahiagbah said the availability of scientific forecasts meant the flooding could not be described as an unexpected event.

“You are forewarned that this flood is coming, do A, B, C, D to prepare. It is no longer unprecedented in that manner. It is no longer an inability or lack of control if you have the benefit of science that tells you to do A, B, C, D,” he said.

He argued that the Ghana Meteorological Agency had provided sufficient notice, giving authorities adequate time to prepare for the heavy rains.

“If it had happened without the benefit of science, and we were just sitting then it rained, then you can say that. But the Meteorological Agency gave you clear warnings that this was going to come, that the rains this year would be unprecedented,” he stated.

Ahiagbah said the government had about four months to implement measures to reduce the impact of the floods, but failed to do so.

“And so you have the benefits of time, four clear months, to prepare, and you failed. So this is self-inflicted,” he added.

He called on the government to accept responsibility for what he described as a failure in disaster preparedness.

“This is something that the government should actually come frontally to accept responsibility that this time, on this occasion, we dropped the ball,” he said.

The NPP communications director also blamed what he described as the unsatisfactory implementation of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, saying it contributed to the impact of the floods.

The June 29 floods affected several communities across seven regions, leaving thousands of households displaced and causing significant damage to homes and infrastructure.