Accra, June 21, GNA - Mr. Daniel Okai, Chairman of the Odododiodioo Constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), noted on Sunday that the disaster that hit parts of Accra on Friday night (June 19), leading to the loss of lives and property could have been averted through sound environmental practices. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra he said disaster was aggravated by choked drains, which prevented the free flow of rain water and structures placed on waterways.

He commended Mr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive (AMA) for initiating plans to decongest the city and said: "This could have at least mitigated the disaster." Mr. Okai who is also a Government Appointee of the assembly expressed optimism that with the support of members of the AMA, Mr Vanderpuije would settle down to initiate programmes and plans to solve the problems of the city.

He identified the problems of the city as sanitation and environmental health, vehicular and human traffic, especially in the Central Business District and other commercial areas; job creation and revenue generation.

The Odododiodioo NDC Chairman noted that Accra had been choked with vehicular traffic and pointed out that a journey which should normally take some few minutes now took hours and expressed concern about its effects on punctuality and economic activity. He stressed the need for plans to rid the city of the long and slow traffic to make Accra a modern city befitting its status as the capital of the country.

Mr. Okai called for the total support of the Assembly, residents and all stakeholders to embrace the public education on the decongestion exercise and to comply with directives to propel the city from its present chaotic state to attract investors and tourists. He called for efforts to rid the city especially the Central Business District and the commercial areas such as as Agbobgloshie and Makola areas of filth which could lead to an epidemic.

Mr Okai called for a crash programme to rehabilitate all markets in the city, which are not being used such as the London and Salaga markets for hawkers and traders currently plying their trade on the streets. He appealed to stakeholders, traders association, religious organisations and corporate bodies to take part in the educational campaign to make the decongestion and the plan to clear the city of filth a success, to make Accra the "Gateway" to the country. 21 June 09