Accra Mayor tells BBC "delayed paperwork" is slowing construction of Accra drainage

sQuashie 22:31 - 05 June 2015

Security official at the scene of the Goil Fire that killed close to 200

The city has experienced severe flooding in recent days, which the fire service says contributed to an inferno at a petrol station overnight, in which at least 96 people were killed.

The mayor of Ghana's capital, Accra, has told the BBC that his office is waiting for the Ministry of Finance "to do the paperwork" so that proposals for a "massive construction of a drainage system" for the city can go ahead.

The city has experienced severe flooding in recent days, which the fire service says contributed to an inferno at a petrol station overnight, in which at least 96 people were killed.

Alfred Oko Vanderpuije responded to criticism of his office's handling of the emergency, telling BBC Focus On Africa radio that he believed in "permanent solutions" not in "ad-hoc measures".

Accra has experienced annual flooding for many years during the rainy season, which runs until September. [BBC]