$700m figure to tackle Accra flooding overblown – Sampson Ahi

A former Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing in the John Mahama administration, Sampson Ahi, has disputed the government's estimation that it will cost about $700 million to solve the perennial flooding in the national capital, Accra.

On the back of flooding in the capital following a downpour over the weekend, the Minister of Works and Housing, Samuel Atta Akyea, said it will cost the country about $700 million to deal with the perennial flooding in Accra alone.

The Minister also noted that, technical expertise was already in place and all that was needed is the funding to get things done.

But Mr. Ahi has questioned the figure quoted by the Minister, saying that it was “far far” overblown.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Ahi noted that, “when we were in office, we were making efforts to address the entire drainage system problem in Tema and Accra and this was going to cost us around $530 million. This was only last year [2016]. I don't know where he [Mr. Atta Akyea] is getting his information from.”

He explained further that, there was already a master drainage plan in place which was to be implemented as part of the widely publicized Conti Project with the $530 million being sought from Parliament at the time.

“There is a master plan for drainage in Accra and that master plan is what we wanted to use to engage the Conti people from the US to come and assist us address the problem and so the minister is using the same scope of work and it is going to cost $700 million? I don't not know.”

“If the same technical people, after leaving office two months, will give different advice and the difference will be close to $200 million dollars, I will be surprised.”

Samuel Atta Akyea
Mr. Ahi has thus said he will be requesting a breakdown of the $700 million projection from Mr. Atta Akyea on the floor of Parliament.

“I will have the opportunity to speak to the State of the Nation Address. I will use the platform to call in the minster to come clean and explain to us the components of that $700 million,” he said.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana