The Sanitation and Water Resources Minister says her sector is in talks with the Roads Ministry to redesign current drainage systems in the country, which according to her have outlived their usefulness.

The engineering process, Cecilia Abena Dapaah says has begun at Agbogbloshie in Accra to ensure proper drainage and prevent flooding.

“Last week, I set up an Inter-Ministerial Taskforce comprising 10 ministries to deal with sanitation-related issues as well as beautification of Accra,” she told Daniel Dadzie on the Super Morning Show, Wednesday.

“For instance, I had added to the taskforce, Roads and Highways, this is because I believe the colonial relic of the shallow gutters we have, have all outlived their usefulness in the sense that when there is flooding they are not helpful.

“So we are proposing that the engineers take a look at having underground gutters to help us and they have started doing that at Agbogbloshie. I have seen it myself,” she added.

Some Ghanaians have criticised government for still constructing open gutters which many say encourages dumping of refuse. The open gutters also collects plastic and sand whenever it rains. 

This, the Minister says will soon be a thing of the past as she is engaging her colleague ministers.

Madam Dapaah who insists her ministry is on track to fulfil President Akufo-Addo’s vision of Accra being the cleanest city in Africa acknowledged that the vision will not be realised if sanitation challenges are left for her Ministry alone to address.

“When you drive around, you see pavement blocks and stones that have been left around by contractors, so the Ministry of Roads and Highways can come in and help remove all these things so we can just stroll around the streets of Accra.

“We also have the Tourism Ministry that we have discussed the beach cleaning with because the Assemblies alone cannot do that and so they have come on board.

“Then we have the Local Government and Rural Development Ministry who we have connected with because they are on the ground and have a connection with the waste management companies.

Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Abena Dapaah

“So yes, we can do it and an Inter-Ministerial taskforce being set up now is not too late because they are already doing the work.” 

The Sanitation Minister, since taking over the ministry, has received massive backlash for allegedly extending the President’s timeline to make Accra the cleanest city by four more years.

Civil Society groups, including the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) have accused her of ‘playing smart’ when she said the campaign promise by the President meant at the end of his entire tenure in office which according to the governing party, meant two terms in office into of the first four years.

But maintaining her stance on the Super Morning Show, Cecilia Dapaah said measures are still in place to ensure the vision is realised by 2024.