The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has ended a 16-day long exercise to desilt the Owabi Stream, which had flooded its banks at Atafuah in the Bantama Sub-Metropolitan area of Kumasi.
The stream, which feeds the Owabi Dam directly, as the main source of water supply to Kumasi and its environs, is also connected by other streams like Anyinasu, Kure, Akyeamponmene and Tikyie, as well as few other tributaries from along its course to the Owabi Dam.
Mr. Frank Kwadwo Duodu, Kumasi Metropolitan NADMO Coordinator, who briefed The Chronicle on the last day of the exercise at Atafuah, explained that human activities along the stream, from KronoumAboahia, always resulted in perennial flooding around the area.
He stated that people living along the streams throw all kinds of waste materials, including discarded fridges, television sets and car tyres into the stream, as a way of disposing of them, which moves down the stream to block the four culverts spanning the Owabi stream at Atafuah on the main Kumasi-Barekese road.
Mr. Duodu said in February, this year, NADMO had to remove a whole palm tree and a tree which had blocked the entrance of the main culvert and thereby obstructed free flow of the Owabi stream.
The NADMO Coordinator lamented that people building houses along the river and other unscrupulous human activities normally resulted in excessive flooding along its banks on the Barekese road.
He admitted that the best time for the desilting exercise should have been in the dry season and emphasised that these are all short term measures.
He suggested that in the long term, all the four culverts along the Barekese road should be re-engineered to be able to accommodate the flooding situation in the area.
Stories from Thomas AgbenyegahAdzey
The post Owabi Stream Desilted To Avoid Flooding; To protect Owabi Dam appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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