The Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project says dredging of the Odaw River is not a one-off intervention, but a continuous process aimed at managing sediment that keeps re-entering the waterway, days after heavy rains caused widespread flooding in Accra.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, GARID Project Coordinator Ohene Sarfoh explained that dredging works focus on the stretch from Cape Rise to the Korle Lagoon, a low-gradient section of the channel where sediment naturally accumulates.

“There was a lot of material within the basin. Our dredging starts from Cape Rise to the [lagoon]. The choice was based on the fact that from Cape Rise to the [lagoon] is the lowest gradient of the channel,” he said.

He noted that sediment build-up in the channel reduces water flow capacity, often causing floodwaters to spill into surrounding communities during heavy rainfall.

Dr Sarfoh said the project follows a two-stage approach: first clearing an estimated 655,000 cubic metres of accumulated sediment, and then shifting to continuous maintenance dredging based on how quickly new sediment builds up.

He explained that GARID has introduced “trigger levels,” which are depth thresholds that signal when maintenance dredging should be carried out in specific sections of the channel.

“The dredging, for example, the contractor has been able to do 40 per cent or so. We are expecting him to finish the entire dredging before the end of the year,” he said.

He added that maintenance dredging would be continuous under a performance-based contract running over four years, with the first year focused on major dredging and the remaining three years dedicated to maintenance operations.

The clarification comes after Monday’s severe flooding in Accra, which followed rainfall levels of about 140 millimetres, among the highest recorded in recent years.

The floods submerged roads and residential areas across the capital and contributed to at least three reported deaths in Alajo.

Dr Sarfoh stressed that dredging alone cannot solve Accra’s flooding challenges unless combined with other interventions, including improved waste management and drainage expansion.

He said the entire drainage network must function as a connected system to be effective.

“You have to look at the entirety of the carriage as a system that must work together,” he said.

“If you don’t have all of the parts working together and the complementary actions also functioning optimally, then your goal you might not be able to attain everything that you intended.”

Beyond the Odaw River dredging, GARID is implementing several drainage projects across flood-prone communities in Accra.

These include major drain construction at Kaneshie, through Accra Academy and Abossey Okai, as well as reconstruction works in Paloma–Asylum Down.

Additional drainage systems are also being developed in Achimota, Nima, Akweteyman, Alogboshie and other areas to channel stormwater into the Odaw Basin.

The project has also disbursed more than GH¢8 million to 17 assemblies within the basin to support drainage maintenance and solid waste management.

The World Bank-funded GARID Project is scheduled to run until December 2027 as authorities continue efforts to reduce flood risks in the capital.