The Minister for Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, has announced that the government’s newly introduced Flood Early Warning System will be operational before the upcoming rainy season.
During the sod-cutting ceremony for the Nima-Paloma drain, part of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, the minister detailed how the flood early warning system will offer advanced alerts about flood-prone areas following heavy rainfall.
This system is expected to provide substantial relief to residents in the capital.
“The structural interventions alone cannot completely eradicate the flooding challenges in Accra, the Ministry of Works and Housing in collaboration with the Ghana Hydro Authority, Water Resources Commission, Ghana Meteorological Agency and NADMO through the GARID Project is establishing a flood early warning system for the Greater Accra Region.”
“The early warning system will provide advanced notification of impending floods to residents in flood-prone communities so they can take steps to protect lives and properties ahead of a flooding event”.
He disclosed that an agreement has been finalized with the service provider for the technology that will power the flood warning system.
Additionally, Mr Oppong-Nkrumah mentioned that all necessary and relevant equipment required for the program’s implementation has been supplied to the responsible agencies.
“In December last year, the ministry donated equipment to support the establishment of the Accra Flood early warning system to the implement institutions,” he added.
Background
On Friday, May 17, 2024, Parliament approved an additional US$150 million from the World Bank for the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project. This funding will support solid waste management, drainage improvements, and other flood mitigation measures.
The World Bank financing will facilitate a range of initiatives aimed at mitigating floods and enhancing waste management in the Odaw River Basin. Key projects under this funding include repairing sections of the Odaw Basin, constructing storm drains in Kaneshie and Nima-Paloma, and creating water detention ponds. Additionally, the project will establish a Flood Early Warning System in the Greater Accra Region and develop a waste transfer station along with an engineered landfill site.
These efforts are expected to alleviate flooding in the Odaw River Basin by improving drainage, waste management, and infrastructure services in high-risk informal settlements. As a result, about half a million people living in low-income communities around the Odaw Basin are anticipated to benefit both directly and indirectly from these improvements.