TUC warns Mahama over floods

With forecasts of more rains in the coming days, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has appealed to the President to ensure that there is not a repeat of Wednesday June 3’s disaster that hit Accra.

The labour organization made the call in a letter addressed to President John Mahama on Monday.

“Your Excellency, please do not allow any Ghanaian to

die again because of floods. If the only legacy you can bequeath to us is flood-free Ghana we will appreciate it and we will remember you forever”, said the letter signed by TUC acting Secretary General, Dr Yaw Baah.

The Ghana Meteorological Services Agency (GMSA) has said Accra is likely to get more rains although with less intensity.

Residents and business in Accra and its environs, particularly the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Adabraka, Awoshie, Mallam, North Kaneshie, Abeka, Dansoman and Odorkor are reeling from floods on June 3 that claimed many lives and destroyed properties.

An explosion at a fuel station near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle during the floods devastated the city, increasing the death toll to more than 200.

The TUC notes that although the rain storms that caused the floods cannot be prevented, the devastation it leaves its wake can be.

The main purpose of the TUC letter to President Mahama was to make suggestions on how his administration can prevent the dire consequences of perennial floods in the capital city and its environs.

“First, we suggest that you set up an inter-ministerial committee or taskforce with clear terms of reference and mandate as well as the necessary financial, technical and logistical support to prevent another flooding in Accra and other parts of the country”, TUC suggest.

The TUC says the scope of the proposed taskforce should be national, extending to all parts of the country.

“There are many Ghanaians who have the skills and the expertise to help such a committee or taskforce to achieve its objectives. Our development partners know how to prevent flooding. They can help us.

The challenge is enormous. One ministry or assembly cannot provide the long-lasting solution we are looking for. We need the support of everyone who can help us. Most of all, we need your leadership and the political will to deal with this problem”, stated the letter signed by Dr Baah.

TUC is also proposing “laws that criminalize actions and inactions that cause flooding including, but not limited to, the allocation of waterways for construction of houses, petrol stations and other such buildings, as well as throwing rubbish into gutters”.

It says the time to apply existing laws and regulations on sanitation is now. “We need to apply them to the letter in a very civilized manner, instead of demolishing people's houses and other buildings indiscriminately, as some have suggested”, the TUC said.