Former Greater Accra Regional Minister, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, has attributed the worsening floods in Accra and other areas to the termination of a major sanitation agreement with Zoomlion Ghana Limited and poor waste disposal practices.
He said the breakdown in regular street cleaning and refuse collection has caused waste to build up in drains, blocking waterways and intensifying flooding during heavy downpours.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue, Mr Glover noted that the absence of consistent sanitation services has made the capital more prone to flooding.
He specifically mentioned changes to waste management, including the cancellation of the Zoomlion contract under the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), which he said, has disrupted waste operations for nearly a year.
“Another problem that I have identified is our inability to continue the sweeping in the metropolis, in the towns; the cancellation of the Zoomlion contract, from last year, for almost a year now, look at the number of refuse that are in the water and ends up in the ocean,” he stated.
Mr Glover maintained that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) lack the logistics, funding and operational capacity to fully take over street sweeping and sanitation.
“The assemblies don’t have the capacity. Logistically, materially, financially, they don’t have the capacity. The person who has the capacity to do this, you’ve asked him to stop the work. He is doing it in 29 African countries. Lagos alone, he has 25 years contract and he’s working to collect these refuse for the time,” he said.
The former minister also cautioned that key water bodies, including the Sakumo Lagoon, could burst their banks if sanitation issues are not urgently addressed.
“If there should be continuous rain for the next five hours, I can tell you the Sakumo Lagoon will overflow onto the road,” he warned.Mr Glover called for continuous waste collection, regular desilting of drains and stronger sanitation systems to minimize future flood risks.
He also advocated for stricter enforcement of sanitation laws and more accountability, insisting that poor waste disposal must attract punishment.“Attitude of our people, people need to be punished. We need to set examples for people to know that what you are doing is bad,” he said.
His comments come as public concern mounts over repeated flooding and as debate over urban sanitation and waste management in Ghana’s major cities intensifies.
