The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has announced that it will commence a large-scale demolition exercise this week targeting illegal structures in flood-prone areas across the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions. The move follows Sunday’s intense rainfall that submerged several parts of Accra and resulted in at least four fatalities.
According to Dennis Nartey Adjarnor, NADMO’s Greater Accra Regional Director, engineers began marking unauthorized buildings for demolition on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. The actual demolitions are scheduled to take place on Wednesday and Thursday, May 21 and 22, respectively.
Targeted areas include Lakeside, Oforikrom, Ga East, Ga West, Kasoa, and Ofankor — localities identified as hotspots where buildings have been illegally constructed on waterways, obstructing proper drainage and contributing to recurring floods.
“These are illegal structures built without permits, directly compromising the region’s drainage infrastructure,” Adjarnor told Starr Today’s Tutuwaa Danso. He noted that most property owners had previously been notified, and the demolitions are aimed at enforcing compliance and protecting lives.
Despite the urgency, NADMO confirmed that no temporary shelters have been arranged for displaced residents. The organization is urging individuals in high-risk zones to evacuate voluntarily in advance of the exercise.
The May 18 downpour lasted nearly five hours and caused widespread devastation, destroying properties and intensifying calls for strict urban planning enforcement in Ghana’s capital and beyond.
