Government sends relief items to flood victims

Accra, June 23, GNA - Government on Monday afternoon dispatched a truck-load of mattresses and other relief items to last Friday's night (June 19) flood victims to meet their some of their immediate needs. The Executive has also put place a task force comprising the Ministries of Roads and Highways, Interior, Local Government and Rural Development, Water Resources, Works and Housing, and the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council( RCC) to ensure the desilting of drains in the Accra Metropolis to allow the free-flow of water.

An epidemics team comprising health personnel will also visit the victims from Tuesday (June 23), to observe possible outbreak of diseases and administer treatment to persons who might be affected.

Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, made this known at a press briefing in Accra after an Inter-Ministerial Team made up of the Ministries of Roads and Highways, Interior, Local Government and Rural Development, Water Resources, Works and Housing, the RCC, National Disaster Management Organization and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) toured parts of Accra affected by the last Friday's flood to assess the level of damage and fashion-out ways to prevent its recurrence.

Areas toured include Kaneshie and Sakaman where the flood caused extensive damage to roads, personal belongings and caused lives. Mr Afriyie-Ankrah, said the "the time for empty talk is over", adding that government would henceforth rigidly enforce all bye-laws especially those bordering on building and waste management, to prevent people from putting up houses on water ways and silting drains with waste materials, which caused the perennial floods in Accra. Mr Joe Gidisu, Minister of Roads and Highways said his Ministry would in the next few days embarked on a major desilting exercise, which would focus on culverts built under highways so that water could flow underground when it rained.

Mr Gidisu announced that a week-long exercise would begin on Wednesday night(June 24) to repair the Kaneshie asphalt road. Mr Nii Armah-Ashietey, Regional Minister warned residents not to rebuild their homes sited on water ways.

He called on the AMA to cash-in on the situation to ensure that unauthorized structures are pulled down.

The team visited some families who lost their relatives as a result of the rainstorm and expressed government's condolences to them.