The Director of Communications at Ghana Water Limited (GWL), Stanley Martey, says the continuous construction of buildings on waterways is worsening flooding in parts of Weija.
He expressed concern that despite daily monitoring and enforcement efforts by municipal authorities, people continue to erect structures on water channels.
“Every day, new structures are being built, and it is very worrying,” he said on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem.
Mr. Martey questioned the effectiveness of local authority taskforces responsible for preventing such developments.
“The Municipal Assembly has a taskforce that patrols the communities daily. Don’t they see people building on waterways? Later, they come and blame us,” he asked.
He insisted that although warning notices are often issued to developers, enforcement measures are rarely followed through.
“They go and write ‘Stop Work’ on these buildings, but they don’t follow up. Then later, they blame us,” he stated.
Mr. Martey called for stronger enforcement measures, including the demolition of illegal structures obstructing waterways.
“All structures impeding the flow of water must be pulled down,” he stressed.
Mr. Martey said he was encouraged by comments from the Regional Minister authorising Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to demolish such buildings.
“I am happy the Regional Minister has given MMDCEs the authority to pull down those buildings,” he said.
He added that he has documented evidence of ongoing encroachment and warned that the issue would be revisited if it continues.
“I have copies of newspapers reporting these issues. If this happens again next year, I will bring them out and we will review whether we have all been responsible,” he cautioned.
Mr. Martey explained that Ghana Water Limited has been managing the Weija Dam carefully, noting that controlled spillage has been ongoing since last year.
“We started spilling the dam since last year April and we have not closed it,” he said.
He added that the dam has a maximum safe operating level of about 45 feet, which must not be exceeded.
“The maximum operating level is around 45 feet. We always try to keep it there. We cannot allow it to go beyond that, otherwise it becomes dangerous,” he explained.
He said the dam is monitored hourly to ensure safety.
“We monitor the dam on an hourly basis,” he noted.
Meanwhile, hundreds of homes in parts of Weija in Accra have been submerged following the controlled spillage of the Weija Dam, leaving many residents stranded and forcing evacuations.
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