The Coordinator of the Flood Mitigation Taskforce, Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah, and his team have visited identified water retention ponds and affected communities.
Accompanied by Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Stanislav Dogbe, Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Kenneth Adjei, and 15 Engineer Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Richard Kinney, the team visited the Tesa dam near East Legon Boundary Road, Damfa, Amharia and Oyarifa.
The team also visited Kpeshie Lagoon, where the 48 Engineer Regiment continued dredging, and a major storm drain along Teshie Bush Road near the ICGC Temple East in Accra.
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At the Tesa dam adjacent to the Boundary road, the dam size has been heavily reduced by encroachers, with some constructing illegal retention walls that have been marked for demolition.
There is also a slum, built at another point near the dam, filled with wooden structures and overcrowded. The area, the team found out, was also a health and sanitation hazard. The areas have been earmarked for demolition.
At Damfa, a retention pond had been heavily encroached upon, reducing its size and its ability to hold rainwater from the Aburi hills.
At Oyarifa, a developer with a set of apartments had blocked a water channel by building over it and, together with another developer, diverted the natural flow of the water uphill.
A number of inappropriately sited structures have accordingly been marked for demolition.
On July 3, President John Dramani Mahama appointed Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah, the Director General of Joint Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), to spearhead an uncompromising, robust, and nationwide flood mitigation exercise.
The emergency operation aims to prevent further environmental disasters while safeguarding lives and property across vulnerable communities.
The high-profile military appointment comes in the immediate aftermath of the devastating floods that struck parts of Accra on Monday, June 29. Hours of torrential rain caused widespread destruction across the Greater Accra Region, leaving communities submerged and infrastructure severely crippled.
According to official government figures, the catastrophic disaster claimed 34 lives, displaced or affected more than 7,000 households, and impacted over 38,000 people. The scale of the damage to businesses, homes, and critical public infrastructure prompted immediate state intervention.
In a public update shared via Facebook on Thursday, July 2, Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu confirmed that Brigadier General Okae-Yeboah has been tasked to lead an “uncompromising, robust, and all-action Flood Mitigation Exercise.” As the head of Joint Operations at GAF, the senior military officer is uniquely positioned to coordinate this emergency deployment, uniting relevant state institutions and emergency response agencies under a single operational command.
The task force will focus on executing immediate, tactical measures to reduce flood risks, clear choked drainage systems, and secure vulnerable, low-lying communities ahead of future downpours.
To outline the operational strategy, Brigadier General Okae-Yeboah will address the public this morning, Friday, July 3, at 11:00 a.m.
The briefing will provide comprehensive details on the task force’s deployment, inter-agency collaboration, and the immediate interventions being rolled out to decisively protect citizens.
