President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the government is reviewing its flood management strategy following the devastating June 29 floods, with plans to introduce additional measures to strengthen Ghana’s response to increasingly severe flooding driven by climate change and rapid urbanisation.
Speaking at a National Security meeting to assess the aftermath of the disaster, the President said the review would evaluate the effectiveness of existing interventions while identifying new measures to reduce the impact of future floods.
“We are therefore reviewing the measures taken so far and assessing additional interventions that need to be implemented going forward,” he said.
Mr. Mahama noted that although flooding has become a recurring challenge in Ghana, the recent disaster ranked among the worst the country has experienced, largely because of increasingly intense rainfall associated with climate change.
He also blamed rapid urban expansion, particularly in Accra, for worsening the flooding situation, saying widespread development had encroached on waterways and natural flood retention areas.
“The increasing demand for land to build has resulted in encroachment on areas that were originally reserved for the passage and containment of water,” the President stated.
Mr. Mahama said the Ghana Armed Forces had been deployed to support flood mitigation efforts, while the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other state agencies continued to provide relief to affected communities.
He explained that government had already constituted a task force before the floods to undertake preventive measures, including dredging major drains and waterways. However, the unprecedented volume of rainfall overwhelmed existing flood control systems.
To bolster ongoing interventions, the President disclosed that the Minister for Finance had released funds from the Contingency Fund to finance additional flood mitigation projects.
The government’s renewed response comes after the June 29 floods claimed about 13 lives, displaced thousands of households and caused extensive damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure across several parts of the country.
As part of recovery efforts, government has declared July 10 and 11 as National General Cleaning Days across the seven regions affected by the floods. The exercise is expected to focus on desilting drains, clearing refuse from waterways and improving sanitation to minimise the risk of future flooding.
While acknowledging that flooding is a natural disaster experienced by many countries, Mr. Mahama stressed that its impact could be significantly reduced through better planning, stronger infrastructure and collective action.
He expressed confidence that the measures being implemented, together with the support of citizens, would help build more resilient communities and reduce the devastating effects of future floods.
