Ghana is not insulated from natural disasters such as the mudslide which occurred in Sierra Leone, resulting in over 300 deaths and thousands being displaced, Professor Emmanuel Amamoo-Okyere has said.
Prof Amamoo-Okyere, a former Executive Director at the Centre for Geographical Information Service (GIS) at the University of Ghana, said this in an interview with Dr Etse Sikanku on Class FM’s World Affairs Show on Friday August 18 in the wake of several aids being dispatched to Sierra Leone to help victims of the mudslide which occurred after heavy rains.
Explaining the concept of mudslide, he said when the vegetation cover of a slope or mountainous area is removed, it increases the rate of infiltration making the top soil loose. He explained that rocks are in layers and when the water infiltrates down into the rocks there might me a layer that is slippery. A sudden stress and slip of the layers will cause the unstable topmost part of the slope to shift and all buildings will topple and bury other structures at the bottom of the slope.
This he said the Sierra Leone disaster can be attributed to this phenomenon.
Relating to the current situation in Accra, he indicated that the hills at Kokorobite in Accra on the Accra-Kasoa road is a disaster looming. Unfortunately, “they have sold it for housing and also resold part of it for quarrying and that is a crazy site.”
He stated that occasionally when it rains, the debris and top soil are washed onto the main road “so we are being given signals already that one day the slope will fail and the top layer will come down but we are [still] building [over there].”
“When one day the top layer comes down, then there is going to be disaster,” he underscored, adding that the impact can be mitigated.
He indicated that the prevention of such natural disasters is impossible however, “we can reduce the impact on the people.”
“You can do all sort of engineering but if the gravity law works, all your engineering things will come down,” he added.
He said once it will have an impact, “occupation by people in those areas should be reduced” and such places reforested. He emphasized on education and awareness creation for people to understand the impact of such occurrences.
The other place he identified as a disaster-in-waiting is Aburi, where parts of the vegetation have been removed and part of the mountain given for estate development.
“But it is giving some signals,” he said. “And now there are some rock falls and we are protecting the rock falls with wire net.”
For him, the netting “addresses it to zero point of nonsense because a little bit of shaking one day and it is going to be disastrous.”
It will be recalled that on Monday 6 June, 2016, Class FM’s #Waiting Disaster series revealed the danger the falling sedimentary rocks posed to road users at the south-bound lane of the Peduase Lodge-Ayi Mensah road.
Class FM reported that the section of the mountain with the boulder consisted of rocks with visible cracks. Reporters who visited the scene said particles of the rock were wearing off as residue could be seen just below the mountain.
According to them, water was gushing out from the base of the mountain, which could weaken that section, and make it easier for the boulder to tumble to the streets. The team reported that the size of the boulder could block both lanes of the highway, should it fall, which would make it impossible for motorists to use the road.
In June the same year on the, #WaitingDisaster series on the Executive Breakfast Show, Class FM, highlighted the dangers residents at Krokrobite, Bortianor, Weija Hills, face.
The reporter who visited the area said some buildings in the area risked collapsing as sand mining and stone quarrying activities, coupled with erosion that results from torrential rains on the Akoasa Mountain in the Ngleshi-Amanfrom constituency of the Ga South municipality, had eaten away their foundations.
Continuous erosion from rainfall over the years had exposed the foundation of several buildings along the hill, leaving them in a precarious situation.
The then Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Mr Mahama Ayariga, said remedial measures were being taken to stop soil erosion and environmental degradation of the Bortianor-Weija hills.
Speaking on the floor of parliament on Tuesday, July 5, Mr Ayariga said measures had been put in place to avoid a major disaster on the Bortianor-Weija ridge.
“The municipal assembly has proposed a short- to medium-term measure to stabilise the Weija ridge and also in address the flooding issue on the Kasoa-Mallam highway,” he stated. “Mr Speaker, the municipal assembly proposes to cart away the huge heaps of sand deposited along the base of the ridge to a moderate competent ground, compact, and re-vegetate. A drain channel and sediment-composed structures shall be constructed along the toe of the ridge to divert all run-offs into the culvert underneath the highway.”
Mr Ayariga further disclosed that “the Ghana Chamber of Mines, which is also a member of the National Security Sub-committee on Lands and Natural Resources, opted to assist in finding a long-term solution in stabilising the Weija ridge. The Ghana Chamber of Mines has appointed one of its members, Golder Associates, to assist in the design of the slopes of the Weija ridge to ensure its stability.”
Currently, according to them, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), together with the National Security Sub-committee on Lands and Natural Resources, were awaiting the designs from Golder Associates for review and commencement of construction activities.
Source:Ghana/AccraFM.com
