THERE SHOULD BE NO TURNING BACK (JULY 7, 2009)

THE government has committed resources towards the re-engineering of the drainage system to deal with the perennial flooding of Accra.
A Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Hannah Louisa Bisiw, has announced that the government has released GH¢2.5 million to cover the construction, expansion and extension of drains, as well as the clearing of silt from both major and minor drains to allow the free flow of water when it rains.
For about a month now, the country has witnessed heavy downpours of rains that have caused damage to life and property.
The rains have brought human endeavours in most communities to a standstill as roads have been washed away and houses inundated with water.
There appears to be no end in sight yet as officials of the Ghana Meteorological Agency predict more heavy rains in the days ahead. We, therefore, need to brace up for the challenges ahead.
It is refreshing, however, that the government remains committed to the pledge to deal with the flooding problem in Accra. This time, the government has decided to walk the talk by “hitting the road running”.
According to Dr Bisiw, the move to overhaul the entire drainage system will help to solve the problem “once and for all”.
We dare say that in the past most people were emboldened to flout the laws of the land because enforcement was weak and even those who were caught in the net used their ‘contacts’ to go scot free.
The Daily Graphic is encouraged by the resolve of the government, as echoed by Dr Bisiw, that “the time has come for the people of Ghana to face the reality and refuse to allow a few individuals to take the rest of us for granted”.
Anybody who has cared to observe critically would have noticed on the days that it has rained that a few lawless individuals have condemned the entire society to the flood disaster in which precious lives have been lost and properties damaged.
The Daily Graphic thinks that it is about time the laws of the land were made to deter the few unscrupulous people from taking the majority of the people for granted.
By law, nobody is allowed to site structures on watercourses but in the city of Accra, developers have encroached on all watercourses and areas earmarked for public facilities.
In countries where the people respect the statutory authorities, nobody builds on watercourses or close to the banks of rivers. Some societies have value for their rivers and for which reason they keep them clean for water sport and estate development from which the state or the local authorities earn revenue.
The Daily Graphic finds it difficult to understand why as a people we have allowed the “bad lots” to deprive us of the benefits from the various streams and rivers that run through our cites and towns.
Unfortunately these rivers rather than help us to attain better livelihoods have become a curse because anytime the clouds gather and the rains pour in torrential volumes, tragedy befalls most of our communities.
The reasons are not far-fetched. The drains are choked because besides the construction of houses on watercourses, the indiscriminate disposal of garbage has also contributed to the present challenge.
We call on residents to expose a few people who make those who obey the laws look odd. Any attempt to condone wrongdoing is objectionable because it can only lead to disorder.