Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South and former Mayor of Accra, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije has bemoaned his failure to forestall flooding in Accra.
Speaking on Onua FM he said during his time as the Mayor in former President John Evans Atta Mills’ tenure in 2010 and there was a great flood in the capital, he was asked to draw up a proposal on how to forestall the deluge and he presented a draft proposal to parliament that was approved to resolve the challenges around flooding and the zoning of the city but the government could not secure the $500 million loan for the project.
“The one problem that I couldn’t forestall that I regret is our interest and desire to end flooding and the challenges around flooding. When I came into power as the Mayor, there was flooding in Accra in 2010 and Prof. Mills asked me what will be the solution for the canker. He asked me to submit a blueprint and I submitted the proposal to him that was submitted to parliament for approval and it was approved.
“It was a proposal that sought to resolve the challenges concerning sanitation, flooding, drains and the dredging of the Korle lagoon and to institute a standard of sanitation in Accra. After the proposal was approved by parliament, the government went to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $500 million dollar loan for the project but the country couldn’t secure the loan for the project. That is my only regret as the former Mayor of Accra”, he pointed out on the Pae Mu Ka program.