The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) will commemorate the tenth anniversary of the June 3rd Twin Disaster with a citywide climate summit and sanitation campaign to highlight the pressing need for urban resilience and climate action, in partnership with youth-led environmental organizations.
In a statement, the AMA’s Head of Public Affairs made the news on behalf of Hon. Michael Kpakpo Allotey, the Mayor of Accra.
Under the theme “June 3rd, A Stern Reminder of Climate Inaction,” the commemorative summit is set for Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Omanye Aba Hall of the AMA. The statement aims to mobilize support for ongoing adaptation measures while reflecting on the governance, environmental, and infrastructure failures that contributed to the 2015 tragedy.
In the statement, the American Medical Association said that the summit was being organized in collaboration with Youth Climate Advocates as part of Phase II of the Youth Climate Action Fund (YCAF), a program designed to enable youth to help solve climate issues in their local communities
“Beyond remembrance, this year’s June 3rd anniversary presents a vital opportunity to recommit to concrete climate actions; the summit will be accompanied by targeted climate awareness campaigns in schools, stakeholder engagements, and a major citywide clean-up exercise led by YCAF micro-grantees,” the statement read.
The AMA stated that in order to improve community involvement in sanitation and raise environmental awareness at the local level, the cleanup effort would concentrate on cleaning up gutters and removing plastic debris from Accra’s markets and surrounding streets.
The Assembly also described a number of current measures meant to address the underlying causes of urban floods and increase the city’s resilience to extreme weather, all in keeping with its long-term climate adaptation policy.
According to the statement, the Assembly had increased the frequency of routine tertiary and secondary drain maintenance in Ashiedu Keteke, Ablekuma South, and Okaikoi South, the three sub-metropolitan districts.
There have already been notable interventions in places like the London Market and the Korle Woko Electoral Area.
“The AMA has covered key flood-prone areas in Okaikoi and Ablekuma South, and work is ongoing in Ashiedu Keteke… This is helping reduce the likelihood of intermediate flooding during the rains,” the statement added.
The Assembly revealed that in order to guarantee unhindered water flow during rainfall, it was closely collaborating with the Hydrological Services Authority to dredge the Odaw Channel, Accra’s primary storm water conduit.
The Assembly was also using the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project to desilt important drainage basins on a significant scale, according to the statement.
The statement stated that these actions were meant to improve the city’s drains’ hydraulic efficiency and prevent water from standing still or overflowing during heavy rains.
“As part of the broader flood mitigation framework, plans are also underway to collaborate with the Urban Roads Department to expand key drainage systems from 0.6 meters to 0.9 meters to accommodate growing volumes of runoff due to rapid urbanisation,” the statement stated.
“We must all take collective responsibility for the safety and future of our city,” the statement concluded.
A cleaner, safer, and more climate-resilient Accra can be achieved by residents, stakeholders, and community leaders actively participating in the summit and other events, the statement said.
Source: newsthemegh.com