The Tema Metropolitan Director of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has warned Tema residents against building in flood-prone areas which have always caused flooding in some parts of the Metropolis.

Mr Ebenezer Cudjoe indicated that it was becoming difficult to control flooding within the metropolis due to the attitude of some persons who continue to build in unauthorised places, blocking natural paths of flash floods during rainfall.

He made this observation on Wednesday in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the Tema Metro office of NADMO as part of efforts by the GNA to sensitize the public ahead of the rains this year.

Mr Cudjoe informed that NADMO was determined to prevent flooding during this year’s rainfall season, “As such, individuals caught putting up buildings in unauthorized areas would be sanctioned.”

He stressed on the need to adhere to building protocols, because “the indication we are getting is that there will be early and heavy rains this year, which could affect lives and properties if we continue to do the very things that cause flooding.”

Mr Cudjoe said some areas including parts of Communities Five, Seven, Eight and Nine, Tema Timber Market, etc., had been declared flood-prone areas, “And, as a result, it was necessary for city authorities to immediately stop building activities in those areas to protect lives and properties during the raining season.”

The Tema Metro NADMO Director cited the creation of slum communities within the Metropolis as one of the causes of flooding, and therefore advised against allowing such communities to exist when authorities knew how it contributed to disaster.

These slum communities were sometimes found blocking watercourses or in a water-lock area, which made it difficult to control the flow of rainwater and check flooding, he said.

Mr Cudjoe seek the advice of the Lands Commission before buying land.

The Metro Director further appealed to residents to desist from dumping refuse in drains because that would chock the gutters, lead to flooding and possibly contaminate lagoons and the sea.

Mr Cudjoe also cautioned motorists against driving through floodwaters, observing that, “Many were swept away because drivers underestimated the strong undercurrents of the seemingly harmless floodwaters in some drains.”

He said although NADMO was ready to provide relief items to flood victims this year, it was the aim of the National Disaster Management Organization to entirely prevent flooding in the Metropolis.

“As a result, the organization’s team had been moving from one community to the other, educating and sensitizing Tema residents on the flood prevention for the past two years, even though the effectiveness of the campaign was reduced due to the outbreak of COVID-19,” Mr Cudjoe informed.