Accra, July 8, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills has asked the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) to be firm in its current decongestion of Accra that was necessary to protect the majority of the people.

He said this during an emergency tour of some affected parts of the Western part of Accra, following a downpour early Wednesday. President Mills expressed sympathy to the bereaved families of seven people who died in a similar flood on June 19, this year, when he was away attending an ECOWAS summit in Abuja. The President encouraged the AMA not to relent in the current decongestion exercise, which would see the demolition of structures in water courses.

He said the AMA was not coming after residents of the city but any action to decongest the city would be in the interest of the people. President Mills' visit took him to Kaneshie First Light, Chabar in Sakaman and South Odorkor where a number of houses were partly submerged by floods.

He assured the residents, who came out in their numbers to meet him that government would do everything possible to alleviate their plight. The residents commended President Mills for his visit, which they said was unprecedented because he was the first sitting President to visit them during floods. 8 July 09