The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), in partnership with Zoomlion Ghana Limited and other agencies, on Wednesday, July 1, intensified its flood preparedness efforts with a large-scale drain-clearing exercise at multiple flood-prone locations across the Greater Accra Region.
The exercise forms part of the ongoing 12-week “No Do No Do” campaign, launched last month to promote environmental responsibility, strengthen flood preparedness, and complement public education with practical action.
Addressing the media during the operation, the Greater Accra Regional Director of NADMO, Dennis Nartey, explained the importance of the campaign.
“The campaign was introduced in response to the growing impact of poor waste disposal on flooding across the region,” he said.
Mr. Nartey noted that while public education is important, swift post-flood interventions are equally critical to prevent blocked drains from worsening the effects of future rains.
“After every heavy downpour, NADMO conducts post-flood assessments to identify drains clogged with refuse, silt and other debris before deploying teams to clear them ahead of subsequent rains,” he added.
The day’s exercise began at the Okponglo stretch and was carried out simultaneously at about six flood-prone locations, including Tema East, Tema West, Alajo, Santa Maria and Ablekuma.
On behalf of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the Greater Accra General Manager, Ernest Morgan Acquah, said the company joined the exercise to help clear large volumes of waste and debris deposited by the floods.
He noted that beyond restoring cleanliness, the exercise aimed to minimise public health risks and ensure drainage systems are cleared ahead of any further rainfall.
Mr. Nartey stressed that while drain clearing is important, it cannot provide a lasting solution without a change in public attitude towards waste disposal.
“This is a problem we can actually solve, but only if we treat collection as an essential service and enforcement as a standing duty, not a seasonal campaign,” he emphasised.
He estimated that human activities account for nearly 50 per cent of flooding experienced in Accra and urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to rigorously enforce sanitation by-laws, including the prosecution of offenders.
The exercise follows Monday’s heavy rains, which caused widespread flooding across the capital, displacing residents and damaging property.
NADMO and its partners say they will continue similar interventions in additional communities as the campaign progresses.
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