President John Dramani Mahama has announced an aggressive nationwide exercise to remove illegal structures obstructing waterways and drainage channels, describing encroachment on wetlands and indiscriminate waste disposal as major contributors to the devastating floods that continue to plague Accra and other parts of the country.

The President said the recurring disaster could no longer be attributed solely to inadequate drainage infrastructure, stressing that human behaviour had become one of the biggest obstacles to effective flood management.

Speaking after an aerial inspection of flood-hit communities across the Greater Accra Region, President Mahama said the destruction caused by the latest torrential rains had once again exposed the urgent need for decisive enforcement against illegal developments and irresponsible waste disposal.

"But then there's also the other aspect, which is attitudinal and human behaviour," he said.

He criticised the indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains, saying such practices continued to undermine government investments in drainage infrastructure.

"That is dumping garbage in the drains, putting all kinds of items in the drains after we finish creating waste instead of sending it to the appropriate place," he stated.

The President disclosed that the aerial survey uncovered numerous illegal dumping sites on wetlands, where refuse was allegedly being deposited deliberately before the reclaimed land was sold for construction.

He warned that the destruction of wetlands and natural waterways was worsening the flooding situation by eliminating areas that naturally absorb excess rainwater.

Environmental experts have long identified wetland encroachment, poor drainage maintenance, indiscriminate refuse disposal and rapid urbanisation as major factors behind Accra's perennial flooding, particularly during periods of intense rainfall.

Engineering and enforcement

President Mahama said the government's response would combine engineering solutions with strict law enforcement to permanently address the problem.

"And so we need to, one, look at it from an engineering perspective in terms of how we can open up the channels, but at the same time look at how we can identify all the buildings that are obstructing the waterways," he said.

Expressing frustration over years of inaction, he indicated that successive administrations had repeatedly discussed the issue without implementing lasting solutions.

"We've said this many times; I'm tired of hearing it, but anytime you begin to take action and you start breaking houses, people think that government is inhumane. But when the problem arises like this, it affects everybody. And so all of us have been affected because of the conduct of a few people blocking the channels and preventing the water from passing."

National exercise

The President announced that the issue would be placed before the National Security Council to coordinate a nationwide operation involving Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies together with the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources.

"We'll call a National Security Council meeting. We're asking every district to identify, together with the Works and Housing Ministry, where the blockages in the channels are as they pass through the district assemblies so that we can earmark those places for removal."

He stressed that the exercise would go beyond demolishing illegal structures to include clearing debris from waterways to restore the free flow of stormwater.

"We'll not only break the houses; we have to move the rubble out of the way because there's no use breaking a house and leaving the rubble in the waterways. It's just the same as leaving the house. And so it's going to be quite a major issue in order to resolve the problem."

Flood devastation

The latest flooding, triggered by prolonged heavy rainfall across the Greater Accra Region, inundated several communities, including Alajo, Adabraka, Kaneshie, Circle, Weija, Odawna, Ashaiman and parts of Tema, leaving homes, businesses and major roads submerged.

Emergency response teams, including the Ghana National Fire Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the military and the police, mounted rescue operations to evacuate stranded residents from flooded homes and vehicles.

Authorities have also confirmed multiple fatalities, while hundreds of families have been displaced and extensive damage caused to property and critical infrastructure.

Government says the planned removal of illegal structures and restoration of drainage channels will form part of a broader strategy to reduce the growing threat of urban flooding and protect lives and property in the years ahead.