Thursday, August 6, 2015

Accra Metropolitan Assembly creates buffer zone along Odaw drain creates buffer zone along Odaw drain


By Edmund Smith-Asante, ACCRA
On-going dredging of Odaw drain

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has created a buffer along the major Odaw drain that runs through Accra, while dredging is ongoing to ensure the free flow of water in the drain along its entire stretch at all times.

The creation of the buffer is to secure the areas that the AMA has demolished as a way of reducing the incidence of flooding in the metropolis.

Hitherto, the entire stretch of the drain that ends up at the Korle Lagoon and into the sea was so silted that it overflowed anytime it rained for just a few minutes, resulting in floods that affected a large area.

A drive along the Odaw drain from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to the Graphic Road yesterday showed the vast expanse of space that has been created after the massive demolitions in Accra since the June 3 flood and fire disasters hit the city.

Tour of demolition sites
During a tour of the now cleared areas along the Odaw drain, the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, said the ultimate aim of the exercise was to ensure easy and unobstructed flow of water from the Odaw River into the Korle Lagoon and the sea.
Dredging and demolition were ongoing, while the debris was being cleared.

Dr Vanderpuije said as a result of the clearing of the unauthorised structures along the main drain and the dredging that were ongoing; the area did not flood after the rains on Friday, July 10, 2015.
Some people who had erected makeshift structures to shield themselves from the sun at the Old Fadama end of the drain along the Korle Lagoon were instructed to remove the structures immediately.

Preventing encroachers
Dr Vanderpuije indicated that the AMA would police the area and erect a wall from the bridge at Old Fadama to the bridge over the Korle Lagoon to keep off enchroachers.

He also said the AMA had the full collaboration of the leaders at Old Fadama who had formed their own task force to police and prevent the re-siting of structures along the drain.

Meanwhile, an extensive demolition exercise over the weekend led to the removal of containers, kiosks and concrete structures illegally erected behind the Neoplan Bus Terminal and the Pedestrian Shopping Mall, along the rail tracks at Avenor and the banks of the Korle Lagoon at Old Fadama.

Writer’s email: edmund.asante@graphic.com.gh

This story was first published by the Daily Graphic on July 13, 2015

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