Zoomlion, NADMO Deploy Officers Across Greater Accra to Sustain Anti-Flood Campaign

Waste management giant Zoomlion Ghana Limited, in partnership with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and several allied agencies, has deployed officers to every Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly across the Greater Accra Region in a bid to sustain gains from a recent intensive anti-flood operation.

The deployment follows a three-day clean-up, desilting and dredging exercise carried out from June 10 to 12 in collaboration with FeDems Limited, Dredge Masters Limited, the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana National Fire Service and various local assemblies. The operation targeted major drains in some of Accra’s most flood-prone neighbourhoods, including Mallam, GBC, Weija, Circle, Kaneshie and Ablekuma West, after recent heavy rains left parts of the capital submerged.

Ricky Anokye Frimpong, the Greater Accra Regional Manager of Zoomlion, said the permanent deployment of officers to the assemblies is intended to ensure the long-term sustainability of the intervention. “To ensure sustainability, we have attached our officers to the MMDAs. We know that at least quarterly, this kind of exercise will go on. We also have a campaign with NADMO known as the ‘No Do No Do’ Flood Awareness Campaign,” he told reporters.

According to Mr Frimpong, the officers will work alongside Environmental Health Departments and NADMO district officers to identify flood-prone areas, monitor drainage systems and coordinate regular desilting activities throughout the rainy season.

At the Shiabu Electoral Area in Ablekuma West Municipality, the Municipal Chief Executive, George Kpakpo Allotey, said the assembly was determined to maintain the free flow of water through local drains and waterways. He revealed that the assembly had already begun enforcing regulations against encroachment on drainage corridors, giving property owners who had built on gutters two hours to remove the offending structures.

Mr Allotey attributed the recurring flooding crisis largely to human behaviour, particularly the indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains. “We are appealing to residents to stop dumping waste into gutters because these drains are meant to carry water. Once they are filled with refuse, water cannot flow freely, and flooding becomes inevitable,” he said.

He described the flooding challenge as one that extends well beyond any single municipality, noting widespread encroachment on waterways across the Greater Accra Region. “Every year we talk about flooding, but this year the rains have been particularly intense. When you look at areas from Weija and beyond, many waterways have been encroached upon. It is therefore more of a national issue than merely a municipal one,” he observed.

The MCE added that the assembly had resolved to undertake a comprehensive drainage maintenance programme after years of neglect. “This kind of exercise has not been undertaken here for nearly eight years. It is long overdue, but we are committed to ensuring that all gutters within the municipality are cleaned and maintained,” he said.

The National Road Safety Authority recently warned motorists and pedestrians of increased road hazards as heavy rains continue to sweep across the capital, a reminder that the consequences of poor drainage management extend well beyond property damage to threaten lives on the roads.

Mr Frimpong cautioned that the heaviest rains of the season were yet to come and stressed the need for continued preparedness. “What we are experiencing now is only the beginning. The real rains are yet to arrive, and we need to prepare adequately for them,” he said, maintaining that most flooding incidents in Accra are preventable through responsible waste disposal and regular drain maintenance.

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