Former Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, has stated that some flood control projects in Accra have been delayed because certain project sites have been taken over by encroachers.
Speaking on Citi FM, the Techiman South MP explained that contractors and agencies working on the projects are facing resistance from people occupying the lands.
“We were made to understand it has stalled because they’re having challenges getting squatters, some of whom are, as they put it, criminals with offensive weapons or implements that have come after them when they go to sites to work, and so that is why the project seems on hold,” he said.
He added that in some cases, security personnel are deployed to clear the areas, but the situation is not sustainable.
“We have military men who go to drive them away, but we cannot have state security go drive away criminals who have hijacked spots for national programmes of this magnitude, and the whole country is engulfed in floods,” he added.
According to him, the encroachment on key project sites is making it difficult for the government to fully implement flood mitigation works, despite ongoing efforts.
