President John Dramani Mahama says the government is reviewing existing flood mitigation measures and assessing additional interventions following the devastating floods that recently affected several communities in Ghana.
Speaking during a National Security meeting on the aftermath of the disaster, the President said the review is aimed at strengthening the country’s response to increasingly severe flooding driven by climate change and rapid urbanisation.
“We are therefore reviewing the measures taken so far and assessing additional interventions that need to be implemented going forward,” he said.
Mr. Mahama noted that while flooding has become a recurring challenge in Ghana, the recent incident was among the worst the country has experienced, partly due to increasingly intense rainfall linked to climate change.
He said the growing expansion of Accra has also worsened the situation, with many waterways and flood retention areas being encroached upon for development.
“The increasing demand for land to build has resulted in encroachment on areas that were originally reserved for the passage and containment of water,” he stated.
The President reiterated that the Ghana Armed Forces have been tasked to support flood mitigation efforts, while the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other state agencies continue to provide relief to affected communities.
According to him, government had already established a task force before the floods to undertake preventive measures, including dredging some waterways.
However, he said the amount of rainfall recorded during the recent downpour exceeded the capacity of the existing mitigation measures.
To strengthen the response, Mr. Mahama announced that the Minister for Finance has released funds from the contingency fund to support additional flood mitigation works.
His comments come days after the government announced a nationwide post-flood cleanup exercise in the seven regions affected by the June 29 floods, which claimed about 13 lives and displaced thousands of households.
The National General Cleaning Days, scheduled for July 10 and 11, form part of broader efforts to improve sanitation, desilt drains and reduce the risk of future flooding.
Mr. Mahama acknowledged that flooding is a natural disaster experienced by many countries and cannot be completely eliminated. However, he stressed that with improved planning, stronger mitigation measures and collective action, Ghana can significantly reduce the impact of future floods.
He expressed optimism that the ongoing interventions and the cooperation of citizens would help ease the burden on affected communities and build greater resilience against future disasters.
