Ghana Flood - I owe flood victims support not apology – Vanderpuije

Source: Daily Graphic Ghana  -  The Mayor of Accra, Mr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuye, has said that he does not owe victims of the devastating June 3 Accra floods any apology.

About 153 Ghanaians died in both the floods proper and a floods-induced inferno at a Goil Filling station in at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle

The twin disaster triggered outrage among section of the public and prompted widespread calls for Mr Vanderpuye to resign over what some critics said was his incompetence.

One of Mr Vanderpuye’s fiercest critics was popular playwright, Uncle Ebow Whyte, who urged him to fix problems facing Accra instead of going about collecting undeserved awards.

But participating Friday in a BBC Africa debate on the topic,”How prepared is your city for disaster?”, Mr Vanderpuye defended his record as Mayor, stressing that he had never been negligent in his duty.

He said even before the floods, he made sure that the city’s drains and gutters were desilted to facilitate the free flowing of water.

When asked whether he owed victims of the flood an apology, Mr Vanderpuye said he did not, stressing that what happened was not his fault or the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

He said they had done their best based on the resources available to them to ensure the safety of Accra residents.

Mr Vaderpuye, however, noted that he owed victims of the floods his sympathy and support to enable them move past the disaster.

The Mayor went on to warn that if measures were not immediately taken to build bigger drains and widen existing ones, the flooding problem in Accra will remain.