The Ablekuma West Municipal Assembly has warned that the outright demolition of all buildings in waterways at Otordjor, a suburb of Dansoman in Accra, remains an option.
George Cyril Bray, the Municipal Chief Executive of the Ablekuma West Municipal Assembly, noted that a number of homes were situated in Ramsar Sites which are designated coastal wetlands and not meant for human habitation.
He told Citi News that demolishing such structures would be the easy solution to the flooding.
“One of the easiest ways is to say we are going to pull down all the structures. If that is the only solution, why not? The assembly hasn’t given or granted anybody permit to build in the water body. So if that is the solution so we safeguard the others who have legally acquired and have permits to build up there, why not?”
After a four-hour downpour on Tuesday morning, homes of residents got flooded.
Most of the residents who were counting their losses at the time Citi News got to the area proposed that the assembly construct drains in the area. But the assembly says that is not the solution, placing emphasis on a building audit.
The demolishing of structures in waterways has consistently been proffered as a solution to flooding in residential areas.
The Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) has made similar threats in the past.
But this approach has been hampered by legal considerations.
The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) in 2018 said it was seeking legal backing to demolish structures on waterways.
It drafted a Legislative Instrument to be sent to Parliament to receive the necessary endorsement to make the exercise acceptable by law.
