Civil Engineer Abdulai Mahama says the government’s efforts to dredge the Odaw river a few months before the rainy season may not yield positive results.
The Odaw River has been a waste disposal site for many years, being a main cause of flood in surrounding areas.
In light of this long-standing problem, Dredge Masters has been contracted by the government to desilt the Odaw river and the Korle Lagoon in order to end perennial flooding in these areas.
Mr. Mahama however believes the dredging of the Odaw river this year [2021] may not end flooding as it started only three months ahead of the rainy season.
“What I see at Circle Odawna towards the coast to the shore was that they tried to do some dredging, but it is still insignificant compared to what I expect to be done. If you wait three months before the rain comes before you start dredging, it will lead to drought,” he said in an interview
Many have attributed perennial flooding in the country to the siting of structures on waterways and blocked drainage systems, a situation that forces rushing floodwaters onto the streets and into homes.
Proffering suggestions to end flooding, particularly in areas close to the Odaw river, Mr. Mahama emphasized the need to ascertain the major cause of flooding in order to find a lasting solution.
“Like I always say, we have indiscipline to a certain degree, If the Odaw is occupied by 80 percent of silt, then we have to look at what is generating the silt.”
Following the June 3, 2015 flood and fire disaster, the government implemented a number of measures including the annual dredging and desilting of major drains in the country to forestall similar incidents in the country.
The government signed a two-year contract with Dredge Masters, a dredging company, in 2019, to dredge the Odaw river.
The government recently said it had secured funds from the World Bank to dredge the Odaw river for five years to forestall the perennial flooding in those areas.
