Regular Desilting of Drains Critical to Fighting Floods – Minister

By Esther Korantemaa Offei

Deputy Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, has called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to adopt regular desilting schedules for drains, describing the practice as one of the most effective measures for addressing the country’s recurring flooding.

She said many secondary and tertiary drains across the country have become clogged with silt and waste, reducing their capacity to carry stormwater during heavy rains.

“One clear problem across the country is that a lot of the drains, especially the secondary and tertiary drains, are silted. This is a plea to all district assemblies to make sure they frequently desilt their drains, whether every three months or on another scheduled basis,” she said.

Explaining the impact of blocked drains, Madam Tetteh-Agbotui noted that drainage systems are designed to convey water, not silt and garbage.

“When you add silt, water and garbage to the drains, they become overloaded and cannot perform the way they should,” she stated.

The Deputy Minister also attributed recent flooding incidents, including those experienced in Accra and other parts of the country, to the combined effects of climate change and the loss of critical water retention infrastructure.

According to her, rapid urban development has led to the encroachment of wetlands and lands originally reserved for detention ponds, reducing the landscape’s ability to absorb and temporarily store excess rainwater.

She urged every district assembly to identify at least three unoccupied locations suitable for detention ponds to improve flood management.

“When you’re able to hold the water, it releases gradually. But when there’s nowhere to hold it, especially in communities below hills, the water rushes down and floods homes and communities,” she explained.

Madam Tetteh-Agbotui stressed that detention ponds should form an integral part of urban drainage infrastructure, noting that they also contribute to replenishing groundwater reserves used by boreholes and other water supply systems. “I’m just appealing that let us manage the two water systems wherever we are,” she said, adding that protecting both surface and groundwater resources is essential to improving the country’s resilience against flooding and ensuring sustainable water management.