Accra, Sept. 12, GNA - Residents of East Legon, Madina, Adenta and Kwabenya living in flood-prone zones would smile, come the next raining season as the government is constructing major culverts and drainage in the area.

The project, which involves desilting and construction of major concrete drains and culverts, is expected to be completed soon to pave the way for the floods to flow freely and enter major lagoons at Sakumono, Odawnaa and Kpeshi, all in Accra.

It forms part of a 19 billion-cedi project to rehabilitate and construct major drains in flood-prone areas in the Greater Accra Region for the this year.

Inspecting the various projects in the areas on Monday, Mr Issah Ketewu, Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, expressed satisfaction at work done so far and urged the contractors to speed up work in order to complete in time.

He said a major problem, which had delayed the work in some parts, had been the location of houses at some of the areas earmarked for the construction of the drains.

Mr Ketewu therefore, appealed to residents to cooperate and assist contractors since the drainage system would be a relief to all of them. He charged the district assemblies and the Town and Country Planning Department to be more proactive by working together to ensure that proper planning and procedures for developments were followed. Mr. Wise Ametefe, Head of the Drainage Unit at the Works and Housing Ministry, said the Kwabenya project was the construction of 200 meters of drains and culverts costing about 500 million cedis. He said work would be completed within the next two weeks.

He said excavation work at East Legon, Adenta and Madina was almost completed and concrete works would soon commence. 12 Sept. 05