Govt Tackles Kumasi Floods

THE PERENNIAL floods that cause havoc for most of the residents of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region look likely to stop this year.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has announced that most of the bridges in the flood-prone areas in Kumasi will be fixed and big drains desilted, because heavy rains are being anticipated.

Some residents of the city, especially those that live in the flood-prone areas, always encounter difficult moments during rainy seasons and there have been instances where the annual floods have destroyed valuable properties or even led to deaths.

He said the government was aware of the situation and had subsequently rolled out a plan to help curb the perennial floods before the rains set in.

Mr. Osei-Mensah, who was interacting with journalists in Kumasi, said “we have carried out a research and realized that in some places their bridges are too small and as a result it leads to floods whenever it rains. Government has, therefore, planned ahead to reconstruct some of the smaller bridges into bigger bridges in order to help curb the floods,” he said.

For instance, the minister said a smaller bridge at TUC Junction, where it floods easily during rainy seasons, may be reconstructed.

He announced that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) had commenced the desilting of some choked drains ahead of the rains.

The minister lauded the KMA for a good work done to help stop floods and urged other assemblies to emulate that shining example.

Besides, he admonished Kumasi residents to keep their environment clean at all times to help stop floods in the city.

—Daily Guide