The Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, says no amount of funding would be enough to mitigate the impact of flooding in the country without a change in attitude.
This follows a request by the Minister for Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, to Parliament to consider allocating portions of the road fund, sanitation levy, and the common fund to his ministry to enable the effective delivery of its mandate.
The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) announced that eight deaths were recorded as a result of flooding last week following heavy rainfalls.
In providing an update on measures taken by the government to address the perennial occurrence, Francis Asenso-Boakye called for a dedicated fund to deal with the concern.
However, the Majority Chief Whip said, “Our attitude towards the way we build is bad. Some of our people build on waterways, and all these factors contribute to flooding. We cannot pretend about that. Yes, the point about funding is right and justified, but let’s also realize that there will never be enough funds.”
“However, what I agree with is the point that what is due, especially with the statutory payments, must be dispensed. We will implore the minister [of finance] that, for us to save lives and properties and probably minimize these issues, we should be seen to be doing incremental releases. We shouldn’t sit for the arrears to become huge, and then we go and scratch the surface. We want to implore the minister of finance that we should pay more attention to flooding needs.”
On attitudinal change, the Majority Chief Whip called for an all-hands-on-deck approach.
“We should speak about people pouring plastic waste into waterways.”
