Demolishing Structures Remains The Best Option To Addressing Perennial Flooding

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Ga East Municipal Assembly (GEMA), Hon Janet Tulasi Mensah, has cautioned residents in the municipality against haphazard development resulting in constant flooding in the municipality with the slightest of rains. She says the only resort to curb this menace is for the Assembly to enforce its Bye-Laws and demolish structures in water.

The MCE, together with the Presiding Member (PM), Hon Jesse Nii Noi Anum and Municipal Coordinating Director (MCD), Mr Joshua Adams Asihene and her Management Staff, on Tuesday, toured some communities in the municipality as part of her Community Visits and Inspection Tour initiative. This initiative which involves the Management Staff of the Assembly us is expected to give them the opportunity to have a first hand experience of the development challenges facing the communities in the municipality and help strategies means of addressing them.

The areals visited included part of Happy Home, Cossway Down, Bohye, Narhman, New Ashongman and Taifa.

The MCE and her team inspected two culverts at Happy Home and Cossway Down and assessed their state and capacity to contain the flow of water as the rains set in. It was observed that the drains and culverts had not been dredged and desilted, respectively, in a while leading to perennial flooding in the area.

At Bohye, the MCE and her entourage inspected the communal work on the Bohye-Ashongman road where a church and some residents were voluntarily filling portions of the Bohye-Musuku road to make it motorable.

In the same area, the team inspected various infractions on the drains in that area as some people were alleged to have blocked access and thereby resulting in flooding whenever it rains.

The MCE advised residents there not to hesitate in reporting such activities in the area for the necessary action to be taken.

They continued to Musuku and Taifa Dunamis area and inspected similar developments as in the earlier cases.

The Hon MCE and her entourage trekked over a kilometre distance to assess the flooding situation in the Taifa Dunamis area. She bemoaned the harphazrd development in the area and advised the residents to come together and team up with the Assembly to find a lasting solution to their flooding situation.

"People have built here anyhow without obtaining permit from the Assembly. We'll have no option done to do a thorough assessment in the area and demolish some of the structures obstructing flow of water. I plead with you, the residents, to come together and let's see how best we can address this situation before disaster hits us", Hon Janet Tulasi Mensah stated.

After the inspection exercise, the Hon MCE directed the Municipal Urban Roads Engineer (MURE), Aboagye Forster, to submit proposal and cost estimates of the situations identified at the areas visited for consideration and action.

The Community Visits and Inspection Tour is an initiative by the MCE, Hon Janet Tulasi Mensah, whereby, at least once every week, she visits some selected communities together with her Management Staff to give them first hand experience and information on the developmental challenges of the communities to enable the Assembly develop appropriate strategies to address them.