The government has launched an aggressive, multi-agency emergency response to combat widespread flooding across Accra, Tema, and surrounding areas following days of relentless, heavy downpours.

The Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, issued an immediate press release following an assessment tour of the hardest-hit zones.

The inspection was led by the President of the Republic, John Dramani Mahama, alongside members of the Anti-Flood Task Force, to evaluate the structural damage and validate immediate remedial solutions.

Sustained torrential rains have relentlessly battered the capital region, submerging homes, crippling local businesses, and fracturing public infrastructure. The severe flooding has completely disrupted social and economic activities, particularly within low-lying areas.

Extending deep sympathies to the displaced communities, Mr Adjei acknowledged the severe pain and financial devastation inflicted on citizens.

"We fully appreciate the pain, disruption, and economic hardship that these events will impose on households, traders, transport operators, and businesses. To those who have suffered losses, we wish to assure you that Government remains fully committed to supporting relief, recovery, and reconstruction efforts," the Minister stated.

While acknowledging that intensifying climate variability and extreme weather patterns are fuelling the crisis, the Ministry directly blamed human lawlessness for amplifying the destruction.

The state highlighted rapid urbanisation, rampant encroachment on vital waterways, indiscriminate waste disposal, and a flagrant disregard for planning regulations as the primary drivers of the structural failures.

In a bid to restore order, the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, alongside various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), has executed extensive enforcement operations.

These aggressive exercises are focused on the immediate demolition and removal of illegal structures and obstructions choking drainage channels, wetlands, and natural water retention areas. The Ministry vowed that these enforcement efforts will be heavily intensified and sustained to protect the environment.

To manage the current emergency, a massive coalition consisting of the Ghana Hydrological Authority, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), security services, and local assemblies has deployed emergency response and evacuation teams. Displaced residents are currently being provided with relief items as technical teams assess broken infrastructure.

Moving forward, the government has detailed a comprehensive engineering and infrastructure strategy:

• Massive desilting operations: Immediate excavation and desilting of major drainage channels that have become severely obstructed by silt and debris.
• New drainage networks: The urgent construction of new drainage channels aligned with natural water pathways to drastically improve stormwater runoff.
• Long-term resilience: The expansion and rehabilitation of national drainage infrastructure, strict enforcement of development controls within floodplains, the restoration of degraded lagoons and wetlands, and the strengthening of early warning systems.

With the rains persisting, the Ministry is strongly urging residents—especially those in low-lying areas and near rivers or drains—to strictly adhere to flood safety protocols.

Citizens must move to higher ground when necessary, strictly avoid walking or driving through floodwaters, and keep children away from flooded zones to prevent tragic accidents and exposure to waterborne diseases.

The release concluded with a powerful appeal for national discipline, demanding that citizens stop dumping waste into drains and halt all unauthorized construction on waterways to safeguard lives and build resilient communities.