President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday visited Dredge Masters in Accra to ascertain the progress of a project to dredge the Odaw River.

The dredging of the river is expected to give way for the free flow of stormwater to avoid flooding during heavy rains.

Hydrological Engineer of Dredge Masters Ltd, Ing.Wise Ametefe, revealed that Dredge Masters Ltd has since February 2019 silted over one million cubic meters of waste materials from the Odaw River and Korle Lagoon to pave way for water flow.

The President was happy when Managing Director of the company, Captain Khan, took him through pictorial designs by Dredge Masters to overhaul the Odaw River and Korle Lagoon into a modern beautiful tourist attraction.

The company on Tuesday continued evacuating debris of waste in the river in order for water to flow freely.

Dredge Masters began operations in June 2016, a year after the June 3 disaster at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle claiming several lives and property with a two-year contract awarded by the government under John Dramani Mahama.

The contract was for the de-silting and dredging of the Odaw channel and restoration of the Korle Lagoon to avert the perennial flooding in Accra under the Accra Sanitary Sewer Storm Drainage Alleviation Project.

President Akufo-Addo renewed the contract for another two years beginning from February this year which scope of work included the redesign and construction of the KLERP interceptor and breakwater at the outfall.

The channel under the scope starts from the Odaw Onyasia confluence at Carprice in Accra, through Avenor, Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, Agbogbloshie, South Kaneshie drain and, the Upper and Lower Lagoon.

Operations Manager of Dredge Masters, Ing. Sena Adiepena said works under the initial contract was completed in March 2017 as designs on civil works are still ongoing.

Prior to the commencement of dredging operations, Ing. Adiepena recalled encroachers and squatters along the drains had to be removed with assistance from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the Ghana Police Service.

He commended AMA for their support.

 Adiepena said Dredge Masters Limited is working around the clock i.e. day and night to restore the drainage efficiency and holding the capacity of the channel and lagoon to avert any flooding in this year’s rainy season.