June 3 fire, flood disaster to be marked
A non-denominational remembrance church service will be held today at the Ernest Bruce Methodist Church at Adabraka in Accra, as part of activities marking the first anniversary of the June 3, 2015 twin fire and flood disaster that occurred in the national capital.
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Other activities for the day include Muslim prayers for the surviving victims and the bereaved families in the regions. In Accra, the prayers will take place at the Central Mosque, Abossey Okai.
There will also be a wreath laying ceremony and unveiling of a statue at the GOIL fuel station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle to remember the victims who lost their lives that day.
These are part of activities lined up by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to commemorate the first anniversary of the mishap.
The two bodies have also instituted measures to help forestall the recurrence of the disaster.
The Chief Executive Officer of the AMA, Mr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, made these known in Accra last Wednesday, at a news conference organised by the assembly in collaboration with the NPA to brief the media on the activities lined up to mark the first anniversary of the disaster.
June 3 disaster
The June 3, 2015 floods were the result of heavy rains on June 2, 2015, that caused the Odaw River to overflow its banks. Storm drains at Nima and Odawna were also filled to the brim, causing intense flooding at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
Some pedestrians who sought shelter at the GOIL fuel station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle during the rains and the resultant flooding lost their lives when fire broke out at the station.
Some businesses and houses located around the fuel station were also destroyed by the fire.
Anniversary programme
Giving details of the programme, Mr Vanderpuije said the non-denominational church service would be followed by a wreath laying ceremony and the unveiling of a statue to remember the victims at the GOIL fuel station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
He said with the support of the National Chief Imam, Muslims would also pray for the lives of the victims and the bereaved families during their Jummah prayers.
On Saturday, June 4, 2016, Mr Vanderpuije said, members of the Seventh Day Adventist Church would pray for the victims and the event would be climaxed on Sunday with a prayer service with support from the Christian Council of Ghana, the National Catholic Secretariat, and the Pentecostal and Charismatic Council.
He pledged the commitment of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to ensure the free flow of water during the rainy season and thus avoid the devastating effects of the perennial flooding.
Continuous dredging
Mr Vanderpuije said the assembly would continue to dredge and desilt the major storm drains, remove heaps of rubbish and unauthorised structures from water courses to allow the free flow of water.
In addition, he said, it would continue the reconstruction and construction of multiple drain channels that were needed in Accra to ensure the effective run-off of water throughout the city.
He asked for the support of the media and the general public in raising awareness of waste management in the city.
Meanwhile, Mr Vanderpuije maintains that Accra is currently better prepared to deal with floods than the days prior to the June 3, 2015 disaster.
NPA measures
The Chief Executive of NPA, Mr Moses Asaga, who also spoke at the news conference, said after the twin disaster, some measures had been put in place to improve safety at fuel stations, particularly in crowded cities.
Among them, he said, was a process of acquiring a licence to operate a fuel station. Hitherto, the NPA had the mandate to give the final approval for the acquisition of the licence.
Mr Asaga also said the NPA had acquired a new technology to help in certifying fuel stations for operation.
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