Hold Officials Accountable - Ayariga

The Flag Bearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Mr Hassan Ayariga, has urged the government to demolish buildings built on water courses after it has thoroughly sensitised the owners to the danger.

He said public officials who give the nod for the structures to be erected, should be surcharged after the demolition.

Mr Ayariga who was briefing the media after his three day tour of flooded areas in Tamale and Accra noted that most of the people who had built on water courses sought authorisation before erecting the structures and could produce official documentation to that effect.

He said officials who had been issuing permits for the construction of buildings in such unauthorised areas had not been punished while the government had spent a huge sum of the tax payers’ money to undertake demolishing exercises.

According to him, a tour of most of the affected areas in Tamale indicated that there were no drains in the residential areas, while the main drains in town were choked with garbage and sand.

Mr Ayariga noted that the construction of the drains would help in stopping what had become a yearly ritual, whereby some part of the Tamale Metropolis and its surroundings were flooded after a heavy downpour.

“I wonder why rain water which we should have harvested and benefited from is rather causing havoc to the poor people of this country. Most of the places in the country that get flooded are unbelievable. We must find ways of reducing the floods and its devastating effect on our poor people,” he added.

Explaining his reason about the need to educate the people before the demolition of structures, Mr Ayariga said that would enable them to understand and appreciate the reasons behind the demolition, adding that after “the officials have prepared the victims psychologically, the government as a matter of urgency should provide them with alternative accommodation.”

He appealed to the government, especially the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to quickly come to the aid of the people and also take steps to desilt all drains in the metropolis.

Mr Ayariga encouraged insurance companies to educate Ghanaians on the need for traders and store owners to have insurance policies so that in the case of such disasters they would be compensated.