Government to tackle flooding challenges in Kumasi – Minister

Mr. Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, the Minister for Works, Housing, and Water Resources, has announced government’s decisive action to tackle the perennial flooding challenges in Kumasi.

He said the move was part of President John Dramani Mahama’s reset agenda to improve urban resilience and safeguard livelihoods.

“In line with President Mahama’s reset agenda, we are taking decisive steps to provide long-term solutions to flooding in Kumasi,” Mr. Adjei said.

The Minister made the announcement at a stakeholder validation workshop with the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council and top officials of selected Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies within the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area.

Mr. Adjei, said the Ministry had engaged two international consultancy firms: Deltares from the Netherlands and INES from Spain, to conduct technical studies that would inform the design of a comprehensive flood mitigation project for Kumasi and its surrounding areas.

He said Deltares would undertake a basin-wide study of the Wiwi, Sisa, and Aboabo river basins, which are the main catchment areas contributing to flooding in the metropolis. 

The Minister said the study would focus on identifying the root causes of flooding and proposing early-stage solutions as a first step toward long-term interventions.

INES, on the other hand, he said would conduct an in-depth flood vulnerability assessment in Asawase and Aboabo, two communities highly prone to both flooding and poverty. 

The Minister said the assessment would recommend targeted mitigation measures to protect residents and reduce flood disasters in the beneficiary communities.

Mr. Adjei said the findings from both studies would be used to develop the Kumasi Resilient Project, a major initiative aimed at safeguarding the city from recurring flood disasters.

Mr. Santiago Ezequiel Arias, a Senior Urban Development Specialist, World Bank, pledged the Bank’s support for the initiative.

Mr. Arias, who is also the Task Team Leader for the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, said the World Bank was committed to partnering with the government to ensure effective flood control measures not only in Kumasi but across the country.

Earlier in the day, the delegation from the Ministry paid a courtesy call on Dr. Frank Amoakohene, the Ashanti Regional Minister.

He commended President Mahama for making flood control in the Ashanti Region a top priority, and assured the Government of the unwavering support of the Kumasi residents to guarantee the successful implementation of the project.

Participants at the workshop welcomed the initiative and expressed optimism that the planned studies and subsequent interventions would significantly reduce the City’s vulnerability to flooding.

Source: GNA

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