The Ghana Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project has resumed full dredging on the Odaw River, near the Neoplan Station at Circle, following a brief pause to clear heaps of sand and dredged materials along the riverbanks.
The resumption comes after weeks of preparation during which the contractor was instructed to remove accumulated dredged material that had been left on the banks to prevent it from washing back into the river and obstructing water flow.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Ghanaian Times, Communications Specialist at GARID, Mr Philip Dornyo, explained that dredging activities were underway along several sections of the Odaw channel under a World Bank-funded contract.
“The dredging is ongoing along different sections of the Odaw. The stretch around Caprice has already been completed under the first phase, so the contractor has moved downstream,” Mr Dornyo clarified.
He said the project was progressing in phases, with the first phase, the deferred dredging, focusing on the removal of “legacy materials” such as silt and solid waste that had long choked the river.
The second phase, he noted, was a routine maintenance stage, structured as a performance-based contract to ensure continuous dredging and prevent new siltation that could trigger flooding.
Mr Dornyo also indicated that the temporary suspension earlier in the year was at the instruction of the World Bank, which required the contractor to clear dredged materials already removed from the channel.
The directive, he mentioned, was intended to ensure proper disposal and avoid environmental concerns.
He acknowledged that earlier delays had been caused partly by challenges in securing adequate land for temporary handling sites to store dredged materials.
However, he stated that new sites had since been secured, ensuring uninterrupted work along the remaining sections of the river.
Beyond dredging, Mr Dornyo outlined that GARID was implementing several complementary flood-control interventions across flood-prone parts of Accra to tackle the city’s perennial flooding problem.
At Kaneshie, two major drains are under construction — one from Accra Academy through the ICGC Christ Temple area, and another through the Abossey Okai Market — both designed to channel stormwater directly into the Odaw.
Similarly, he emphasised, a major drain within the Paloma–Asylum Down enclave that feeds into the Odaw is being reconstructed, while at Achimota, Nima, Akweteyman, Alogboshie, and other communities, new drainage systems are under construction to protect residents from flooding.
Mr Dornyo further underlined that the dredging forms part of the broader GARID Project, initiated in the aftermath of the June 3, 2015 flood disaster to reduce flood risks and improve resilience across the capital.
He added that under the project’s solid waste management and metropolitan strengthening components, 17 municipal and district assemblies within the Odaw basin had received compactor trucks and waste management equipment to improve refuse collection and disposal.
The assemblies are also being supported with dedicated funds to desilt secondary and tertiary drains ahead of the rainy season, ensuring that flood control measures are implemented collectively from upstream to downstream.
The GARID Project, funded by the World Bank, is scheduled to run until December 2027.
By: Stephanie Birikorang
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