The Nima Paloma Storm Drain complition is expected to stall for several more months, according to officials of the Greater Accra Resilience and Integrated Development (GARID) Project.
The project, which was funded by the World Bank and launched by the government in June 2024, was initially scheduled for completion within 18 months to help mitigate flooding in the capital.
However, residents within the Odaw River Basin, including communities such as Adabraka and Asylum Down have raised concerns about potential floods due to the slow pace of work. While progress is visible around Circle, residents along other sections of the drain fear being left behind and worry the situation could worsen if the rain persist.
Philip Dornyo, GARID’s Communication Specialist, Speaking to Channel One News on Thursday, October 2, outlined some of the challenges behind the delays.
“During the rainy season, contractors had to spend a lot of time pumping the water out and cleaning the area because a lot of solid waste was washed into the area, contributing to more delays.
Secondly, compensation was another factor. Before handing over the site to the contractor, we did an assessment of the area and identified the persons who would be affected and paid them off.
However, the contractor wrote to us requesting more space to work on the drain. That was also a lengthy process and took about three months,” he explained.
Officials admitted that these setbacks make the initial 18-month completion target “impossible.”
“Because of the factors I have pointed out, it would be practically impossible to complete within the 18-month stipulated time.
However, what will happen is that the contractor will request an extension when a month is left to the earlier completion time. We, as GARID, would then assess before granting the extension,” Mr. Dornyo added.