The government has launched an aggressive flood prevention campaign in Accra, targeting illegal structures and other obstructions that have narrowed waterways and contributed to recurring flooding in the capital.
The operation, being undertaken by the Flood Mitigation Task Force, combines demolition, dredging and desilting activities aimed at restoring the natural flow of water through key drainage channels and retention basins ahead of the peak rainy season.
Leading the exercise are the Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations), Stan Xoese Dogbe, and the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Adjei, with operational coordination by Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah. The task force is also receiving support from senior officers of the Ghana Armed Forces, including Major General Annan Glover and Brigadier General Richard Kinny.
The first phase of the operation has focused on flood-prone areas, including New England behind Airport Hills and Mayfair Garden Estates, before moving to the Tesa Dam near Boundary Road in East Legon and later Oyarifa.
At the Tesa Dam, officials demolished unauthorised structures erected along the banks of the reservoir after identifying them as major impediments to the natural movement of floodwaters. Some developers had constructed illegal the Commanding Officer of the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Osei Amponsah, briefed affected residents on the objectives of the operation. He explained that the exercise is intended to restore the waterway, retaining walls, while indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste and the activities of squatters had heavily silted the dam and its drainage channels, significantly reducing the reservoir’s capacity to contain stormwater.
Before the demolition exercise commenced, the Commanding Officer of the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Osei Amponsah, briefed affected residents on the objectives of the operation. He explained that the exercise is intended to restore the waterway, reduce flood risks and protect lives and property, while urging residents to cooperate with officials. Occupants were allowed time to remove their belongings before demolition works began.
With the illegal structures cleared, engineers immediately commenced dredging operations at the Tesa Dam to remove accumulated silt and restore its ability to retain floodwaters. Authorities say increasing the dam’s storage capacity and improving water flow will help reduce flooding along the Accra Motorway, East Legon and neighbouring communities.
The exercise forms part of the government’s broader strategy to tackle perennial flooding in the capital through stricter enforcement against encroachment on waterways and the rehabilitation of critical drainage infrastructure.
