COLOSSAL SUM OF MONEY NEEDED TO END FLOODING –VODEC

Voice Of Developing Communities (VODEC), a not- for profit Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), is calling on the Government to use a colossal or huge amount of money to end flooding in Ghana once and for all, and check and balances put in place for those who are going to undertake such project.

These statements were made during a forum organized on Friday July 12th, 2013 at the Ga West Municipal Assembly Hall, in the Greater Accra Region to raise awareness and educate Ghanaians on the need for them to see flooding as a threat to human life and properties.

The Forum which was attended by Members of Voice of Developing Communities, National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr. Robert Nii Omane Botchway: Producer of Hollow Natural Mineral Water, Alistair Djimatey: Foundation manager of Blue Skies, Senior High Schools students and Junior High Schools in the Municipality and was Chaired by Mr. Kwame Akyea from the Association of Writers saw flooding as a natural event that can have far reaching effects on people and the environment.

Voice Of Developing Communities wants the Meteorological Services Department to aid many of our development efforts, such as the Aviation and Maritime industries, to help solve the problem, by Government retooling the Ghana Meteorological Agency, to carry its mandate of predicting the weather correctly, and with the past experience and available data, the authorities are expected to appropriate measures to solve the flooding problem in Ghana.

Left to VODEC alone we will say the solution does not lie in demolishing the houses but also look at the best way to decentralized government structures to empower the regions to create more jobs for the people to cut off the migration to the national capital that create accommodation problems for developers to solve by building anywhere for their money only to serve as death traps for people anytime the rains fall.

Mr. Isaac Lamptey and Joyce Osei who represented the Ga West Municipal NADMO Office were bombarded with so many question and urged citizens to help collectively educate residents who live on waterways to vacate, public awareness plays central role in the implementation of these programmes, focusing on attitudinal and perceptional change towards waste management, sustainable use and equitable sharing calls for social change.

The Representative from EPA urged an engineering body to be set up to plan and undertake a comprehensive drainage scheme for Accra, expanding the existing drainage structures and constructing additional ones that conform to high quality engineering standards to cope with increasing volume of rain water.

Mr. Robert Nii Omane Botchway: Producer of Hollow Natural Mineral Water on his part cautioned producers of Sachet Water to desist from dumping of materials which will cause flooding in Ghana and authorities should check human activities of indiscipline and negligence as well as lack of adequate and effective drainage structures to take care of the flood waters and advocating for the separation of waste in Ghana.

Indiscriminate disposal of refuse has led to the choking of drains, gutters and culverts, he added.

Ishmeal Nii Brown Lartey, Administrative Secretary from Vodec, also a town Planning Officer also added that drainage systems are therefore too narrow to contain the flood waters and houses are built on waterways because of illegal Building permit issued by Building Operating Officers blocking the flow of rain water, while poor town planning policies and programmes also contribute to the problem.

Senior and Junior high school students queried the NADMO officials who came to the event of their delay in attending to flood victims, and sometimes back authorities go on inspection tours of affected areas to assess the extent of damage and make promises to address the situation but now nothing of that.

Mr. Kwame Akyea who was the Chairperson for the occasion concluded by urging citizens to change their attitude because flooding can carry so many diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, cholera etc. which could have a lot of effect on human being.

SIGNED
Abroni Thomas
Executive Director