The National Disaster Management Organisation says it is feverishly preparing to adequately respond to any floods when the rains come.

The emergency response organsiation is currently expanding drains in Tema, Ashaiman and Weija all in the Greater Accra Region which consistently experience flooding because they are in low-lying areas.

Deputy NADMO Director-General, Seji Saji, has disclosed the Organisation has also activated its 24-hour search and rescue team with two emergency response vehicles on standby to respond to distress calls from residents.

The Ghana Meteorological Agency forecasts heavy rains coupled with strong winds in the next couple of weeks as the rain season draws nearer.

Samuel Yorke, Director of Research and Applied Meteorology at the Agency speaking on Joy FM last week, called on city authorities to clear major drains of silt and widen the outflow of some water bodies for easy flow of flood waters after heavy downpours.

Read:  Clear choked drains, widen waterways - Meteo warns

NADMO appears to be under pressure to meet its set deadline as it has emerged that the requisite tools needed to complete ongoing desilting works across the capital are lacking.

NADMO needs at least 10 excavators to desilt major drains in the capital, but it only three.

Seji Saji fears the desilting works which begun as far back as February may not be complete before the rains come.

“Working at the same time, I think we need more than 10 excavators to be working at the same time [in Accra] within the period we have and this thing must be done within a specified time before the rains set in,” he told Daniel Dadzie, host of the Super Morning Show, Tuesday.

Seji Saji 

Despite the operational challenges, Seji Saji is confident there will be a reduction in the incidents of flooding this year, particularly in Accra.

“We believe that with the measures we are putting in place we will able to record fewer incidents of flood this year.”

Rains in the northern parts have already caused floods that have destroyed properties and displaced many.

The Deputy D-G says they are relying on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to complement their efforts to minimize the impact of flooding.