....Parts of Accra under water.... more rains expected TEN hours of torrential rains in Accra from Sunday night to early yesterday morning caused widespread flooding and destruction to property in low-lying areas. The rains, which began at about 9p.m. on Sunday to about 8 a.m. yesterday morning, left many suburbs of the city partly submerged in water. Roads, lorry parks, filling stations and factories were all flooded. No casualties had been recorded at the time of going to press. The rains disrupted business and academic activities in the city as mobility of residents to the Central Business District and other destinations was hampered by the torrential downpour. Many buildings in the city were also partly submerged in water while bridges and culverts were washed away. Some buildings as well as walls also collapsed rendering the occupants of the houses homeless. At the Christian Methodist Secondary School, near the Kwame Nkrumah Cirlcle, the classrooms and offices got flooded disrupting academic work for the day. It was learnt that the devastation caused by the floods at the school may lead to the suspension of academic work for some days. In most of the worse affected areas, residents lost most of their belongings, including television sets, carpets, sound systems, furniture, books and clothings,http://www.michaelkorsuk.biz. At Otojor, a suburb of Dansoman, the situation was so alarming that military personnel and officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) were deployed to rescue residents with fishing boats. Residents were seen trying to start their vehicles that were submerged by the torrential rains while others tried to dry few of a their remaining belongings like electrical gadgets, clothings, beds and furniture. Others were spotted standing on tables, walls or wading through the floods which were up to the knee level. The Emmanuel Preparatory School, also in the same area, was almost in ruins as school activities were disrupted while books and other vital documents were completely destroyed. The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Yaw Barimah, his deputy, Madam Theresa Tagoe, and the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Solomon Ofei Darko, led newsmen to tour and ascertain the extent of damage caused by the flood waters in the metropolis. Also present were the Metropolitan Co-ordinator of NADMO, Mr H,mulberry bayswater bag.N.L Plange, Mr Wise Ametepe, Head of Drainage, Hydrological Services Department of the Ministry of Works and Housing, and other officials. The team later visited Odorkor Sakaman, where the devastation caused by the heavy rains was not different. The residents were seen in an angry mood banging on the door of a neighbour who was alleged to have built on a waterway resulting in frequent flooding in the area. Mr Solomon Darko attributed the situation to residents building on waterways, indiscriminate disposal of waste, and public officials conniving with residents to build indiscriminately. Meanwhile, it was observed that some parts of the city, which had a decade long history of flooding recorded no incidents this year. He conceded that floods cannot entirely be eliminated in some areas since they are in low lying areas. Mr Darko attributed the improvement of drainage facilities to the construction of drains and culverts among others. A total amount of 5 million donated by the French Government was used in the desilting, construction and restructuring of about 3.2 kilometres of primary drains in the metropolis, while ?3.2 billion was spent on the desilting of drains. An additional amount of 11 million has been pledged by the French government for similar purposes. Mr Darko said the World Bank has also presented 3.2 million for the construction and restructuring of some primary drains in the city. According to him, efforts are being made to salvage the situation and that by the end of this year, residents of Accra will be saved from the perennial trauma caused by floods. Asked what the AMA has done to demolish houses on waterways, Mr Darko explained that after the previous rains, about 156 houses built on waterways were earmarked for demolition. According to him, residents were served with notices and that the AMA was served with petitions from occupants who had excuses ranging from being pensioners who had toiled to put up structures, to not being albe to afford new buildings because they are not working. In spite of these excuses, he said, the AMA analysed the situation and where it was possible to give engineering advice, it did. He said, some of the houses in the metroplis have, however, been demolished. The ministers gave the assurance that the government is working around the clock to find lasting solutions to the problem. In a related development, residents of Summer Hut at Mamprobi have appealed to the AMA to expand the drainage system on the Chemu road, reports Michael Donkor. The residents said the recently constructed drainage system in the area is not spacious enough to contain the flood waters. Mr Edmund Quartey, one of the victims of yesterday?s floods said the rains caused considerable damage to property in the area, and urged the government to do something about structural developments in the municipality. In another development, the Managing Director of Sambot Industry Limited, manufacturers of pop corn and food warming machines, Mr Samuel Brown Otoo, said the company lost equipment estimated at more than ?100 million and attributed the problem to the poor drainage system along the main Kaneshie-Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle road, reports E. Kojo Kwarteng,hermes bags. Residents of Adabraka Official Town and Odawna have also appealed to the AMA to help clear the debris left behind by the floods. They called on the AMA to intensify the recent exercise embarked upon by it to clear Accra of filth to improve sanitation in the city. More Rains Expected ? Meteo Service The Meteorological Service Department has warned residents of Accra to expect more rains this month because the country?s rainy season is not yet over. The Service described Monday?s floods, which hit Accra as ?an accumulated effect.? The Duty Forecaster at the Meteorological Service, David Perry explained that the torrential rain followed five days of continuous rains last week, hence the floods. With the exception of last Friday and Saturday, it rained throughout the week. Mr Perry said the five days of rains naturally caused saturation of the ground and this, coupled with the poor drainage system mainly due to blocking of water courses and drains, triggered off the floods. Accra recorded 123.3 millimetres of rainfall during the 10-hour period, describing it as the highest in Accra so far. This was more than the 91.4 millimetres recorded last year. Kade in the Eastern Region recorded the highest rainfall of 168.2 millimetres, while Cape Coast and Kumasi recorded 87.9 millimetres and 85.4 millimetres respectively. Last year, flood waters claimed 13 lives and destroyed properties. Residents who were trapped by flood waters, climbed to safety on trees and rooftops where they waited and prayed for rescue mission and the early recession of the flood waters. In 1995, the Meteorological Services Department described the rains that hit the city of Accra as the highest since 1936,mulberry uk. The July 4 rainfall, recorded 258 millimetres, with the intensity of 64 millimetres in 12 minutes, lasting for nine hours. Before the 1995 floods, the highest rainfall recorded in Accra was 192.8 millimetres, which was in 1959.Comments:This article has 7 comments, give your commentRelated articles: 51139 51935 58556
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05-13-2013, 12:30 PM
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