President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the government will procure additional backhoes and other specialised equipment for the military to improve the clearing of drains and reduce the risk of flooding across the country.
According to the President, the new equipment will help remove silt from drains and transport the debris to designated dumping sites rather than leaving it along drain banks, where it can easily be washed back into waterways during heavy rains.
“We also have to get specialised machines like backhoes to take the silts that we have taken out of the drains and put them in a tipper truck to take them away,” President Mahama said while he joining the clean-up exercise at Alajo and Tse-Addo on Friday, July, 10.
“So we’re going to get some more backhoes for the military so that all the garbage and the silts that we have taken out of the drains, they’ll be able to gather it and go and dump it somewhere,” he added.
President Mahama stressed that removing the waste material from drainage channels is critical to ensuring free flow of water when there are heavy rains.
“Otherwise, if we don’t do that, what we’ve done will be in vain because when the rains come, it will just wash all those silts and garbage back into the drain,” he cautioned.
The announcement forms part of the government’s broader flood mitigation strategy as authorities intensify efforts to improve drainage systems following recurring flooding incidents in several parts of the country.
The President made the remarks while expressing appreciation to traditional leaders, volunteers and residents who participated in the nationwide environmental clean-up exercise.
“I want to thank all the people of Ghana who have come out today to clean their environment. Thank you,” he said.
