The Member of Parliament for Suhum, Frank Asiedu Bekoe, has held the government responsible for Monday’s deadly floods, branding the disaster a “systemic failure” in waste management and sanitation.
Speaking to the media in Parliament, Mr Bekoe argued that the flooding claimed lives and destroyed property because the state failed in its fundamental duty to protect citizens.
He called on President John Dramani Mahama to issue an official apology to those affected and provide financial compensation to the victims’ families, whilst also offering his own condolences to those grieving.
Mr Bekoe stated that governments collect taxes specifically to drive development and safeguard lives and property, duties the state clearly failed to fulfil in this instance.
He maintained that the disaster was not caused by heavy rain alone, but by years of neglected sanitation systems.
According to the legislator, local assemblies receive sanitation funding but lack the basic equipment and personnel required to carry out the work.
He noted that a severe shortage of adequate landfill sites has forced some residents to dump refuse indiscriminately, blocking drains and exponentially increasing flood risks.
He questioned whether assemblies even possess the tipper trucks and logistics necessary to manage waste effectively, despite historical funding allocations.
Referencing recent remarks by the Local Government Minister, Ahmed Ibrahim, regarding calls from civil society organisations to channel waste management funds directly to local authorities, Mr Bekoe questioned whether that policy had delivered any tangible results.
He pointed out that Ghana has a long history of severe downpours and major floods, citing disasters in 1933, 1960, 1995, the tragic events of 3 June 2015, and more recently between 2020 and 2022.
The recurring nature of these events, he argued, proves that the problem is entirely predictable and manageable through robust planning and effective sanitation infrastructure.
Mr Bekoe concluded by demanding that President Mahama immediately mobilise resources to compensate all flood victims, particularly those who lost relatives or had their homes and businesses destroyed.
He urged the nation’s political leadership to take accountability for the tragedy, stating that the political class, especially the current government, should bow its head in shame.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana