Assemblies, Parliament must work together to tackle flooding in Accra\u2014Committee on Local Govt
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development has issued a clarion call for unity between Parliament and Ghana’s Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in confronting the escalating flood crisis gripping Accra. This appeal, made during a recent capacity-building and oversight engagement in the Greater Accra Region, underscores a growing consensus that the nation’s administrative and economic hub requires a coordinated legislative and administrative response to environmental challenges exacerbated by unchecked urbanisation.
Committee Chairperson Queenstar Maame Pokua Sawyerr, also the National Democratic Congress MP for Agona East, articulated the urgency of the situation, citing rapid urbanisation, indiscriminate waste disposal, and the persistent construction of structures on natural waterways as primary catalysts for the flooding. “The recent issues regarding flooding, which have arisen as a result of rapid urbanisation and its attendant problems, indiscriminate disposal of waste, and building on waterways, call for collaboration between legislators and the MMDAs to find a lasting solution to this potentially huge problem,” she stated. Her remarks came as part of the committee’s constitutional mandate to oversee local government operations, promote accountability, and support effective rural development nationwide.
The engagement provided a platform for MMDA representatives to share firsthand experiences of the flooding’s impact, detailing challenges ranging from overwhelmed drainage systems to property damage and displaced communities. These testimonies aimed to inform future policy decisions and strengthen local governance frameworks by aligning legislative action with ground-level realities.
Ranking Member Francis Asenso-Boakye, the New Patriotic Party MP for Bantama, complemented Sawyerr’s call for collaboration with a insistence on strict regulatory enforcement. He lamented that despite well-documented risks, some assemblies continue to approve building permits on waterways, undermining flood mitigation efforts. “Greater Accra is a low-lying area, yet assembly officials are approving permits for people to build on waterways,” he noted, urging a dual approach: sustained investment in drainage infrastructure coupled with rigorous enforcement of settlement planning schemes and continuous monitoring of development projects.
Asenso-Boakye further emphasized the importance of fiscal accountability, urging Parliament to scrutinise the use of public resources allocated to assemblies to ensure projects deliver tangible value and address community needs. He framed effective local authorities as indispensable to national development, arguing that improvements in service delivery and infrastructure hinge on their competence.
The committee’s intervention arrives amid recurring flood events that have plagued Accra for decades, with recent years witnessing intensified severity due to climate change pressures and rapid population growth. Experts warn that without decisive action, the city faces heightened risks of infrastructural damage, economic disruption, and public health crises during rainy seasons.
While the call for collaboration marks a significant step, translating it into concrete action will require sustained political will, clear inter-institutional communication channels, and mechanisms to hold both legislators and assembly officials accountable for flood-resistant urban planning. The coming months will test whether this appeal evolves into a framework for resilient urban management or remains another well-intentioned directive lost in the complexities of Ghana’s governance landscape.
Image Source: MYJOYONLINE
