By: Nana Achiaa Aboagye
The Ministry of Works and Housing has inaugurated a 10-member Ghana Hydrological Authority governing board. The board is to assist the Authority to develop a drainage Master Plan for the country, explore and tap into different sources of funding to enhance flood resilience to serve as the central point for drainage management, consultancy, and supervision across the country.
The imagination of the Governing Board is an important step towards the effective management of flood risk and enhancing resilience to climate induced disaster and protection of public infrastructure.
The Authority is to promote and regulate Hydrological service delivery for the planning, design, execution, operation and maintenance food control mechanism and works related to coastal engineering, sewerage, drainage improvement and river channel development, Operational and applied hydrology, for the quantification, conservation and development of the water resources of the country.
The Sector Minister, Francis Asenso-Boakye noted that with the imminent rains, the problem of perennial flooding in Ghana is bound to happen again, especially in Accra, causing significant damage to livelihoods and properties. He said this is due to ineffective drainage management across the country.
He explained that we live in a country where institutions with little or no expertise in drainage management and operational hydrology are constructing drains and other infrastructure projects without flood risk assessment and without consulting the then Hydrological Services Department of this Ministry for expert advice during project implementation.
In an address, Mr. Asenso-Boakye said the consequential effect is that institutions (public and private) undertake projects which create flooding challenges for the Hydrological Authority to solve. These have included under-sized culverts, drains and bridges that impede storm water flows.
He recalled that this, among others informed the decision of the Ministry to use policy to comprehensively address the problem, culminating in the passage of the Ghana Hydrological Authority Act 2022.
He emphasized that the Board has membership from all the key stakeholders that have a role to play in effectively tackling the flood risk challenges we are faced with.
The Minister for Works and Housing, Mr Francis Asenso Boakye said the success of the Board in helping the Authority achieve it mandate will largely depend on its ability to collaborate with the various stakeholders in the sector relative to the implementation of projects involving drainage development.
He reiterated that with the implementation of the proposed drainage master plan, he is confident that they can mitigate the effects of flooding and make our communities safer to live in.
He entreated them to adopt appropriate strategies to ensure accurate and reliable hydrological data collection which is essential for effective hydrological management, prioritise staff training and development to ensure that the staff of the Authority have the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out their responsibilities effectively, mitigate the effect of climate change on our cities and communities through innovative projects and promotion of nature-based solutions and enhance infrastructure resilience by ensuring developments are steered away from flood prone areas.
The Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, Mr Abdulai Abanga encouraged all the members to serve in their respective capacities to bring their expertise to bear and work diligently towards attaining their tasks.
On behalf of members, the Board Chair of the governing board, Mr. Kwasi Anim pledged their commitment to help the Ministry’s transformational agenda. He thanked the Minister for reposing confidence in them and promised to give off their best to help the Ministry achieve its mandate.
The the role of the Board is critical in ensuring the overall resilience of cities and communities.
