Commentary

Take precautionary measures on flooding in Accra

By Dr. Nana Sifa Twum, Media and Communications Consultant

It appears the rains will continue unabated. As per the weather update by the Ghana Meteorological Agency, GMA, this year’s rainfall pattern indicates a major rainfall season for the south of the country, 8°N and below.” The agency predicted in March this year that “even though the 2022 rainfall season is largely expected to be mostly normal to below normal, at the peak of the season, there is a high probability of heavy rains accompanied by strong winds and lightning, which could lead to localized flash floods.” True and evidence to the predictions, currently, there is a high probability of extended heavy rains, until towards the end of the season, but there would be a normal or rainfall deficit close to the end of the year.

The GMA, therefore, provided advice to the public and especially duty bearers to help mitigate any risk that might occur to people, animals, crops and material goods. It recognised that there are indications that the country has thrown caution to the wind.

Nothing practically has been done to avert the predicted heavy rainfall, strong winds and lightning and the possible associated disasters during the rainy seasons.

Scientists are of the view that “Climate change is manifested in Ghana through rising temperatures, rainfalls and increased variability, rising sea levels and high incidence of weather extremes and disasters.

The torrential rains this year, especially the recent one on Sunday morning, which lasted several hours have caused many residents in some parts of the country to abandon their homes and to seek shelter elsewhere.

Properties have been destroyed and in some cases, buildings collapsed. The havoc caused by the rains, especially recent ones, has been simply heartbreaking. The death of an 18-year-old girl, simply known as Mary, was reported during the heavy downpour on Sunday morning when she was reported to have been washed away by raging flood waters at Tesano in Accra. According to eyewitnesses, the girl was trying to salvage her slippers, which fell into a small drain and eventually was swept away. In times past, many such unfortunate deaths had occurred. The worst so far has been the June 3, 2015, flood disaster where about one hundred and fifty people perished.

Seven years on, the question many people have asked and are waiting for answers from the appropriate or relevant authorities are, what lessons have we learnt, what remedies or solutions have been or are put in place to avert such a disastrous occurrence from repeating? Should innocent citizens continue to unnecessarily perish as a result of other peoples irresponsibility, negligence and apathy? In the face of flood risk as anticipated this rainy season, disaster management should have been a priority, especially for flood-prone areas, but we are still experiencing disasters every rainy season, especially in the capital. When disaster escalates from property destruction to affect human lives, then it can be said to have reached an alarming rate/stage/ crescendo.

The urgent need therefore to establish and operationalise integrated monitoring and early warning systems for the accompanying flood risk must be adhered to seriously. Many sensitisation activities in the exposed areas about the impending danger needed to be intensified. We are told that flash floods may occur during the peak of the season and may lead to flooding, in especially low-lying areas and in areas where people have built on or along waterways.

These floods may also lead to some roads becoming impassable when it rains and sometimes leading to severe disruption of vehicular traffic. Road users have to be mindful when using these roads especially, the Kasoa to Accra road and the Kwame Nkrumah circle Interchange area. Some other areas in the capital that are usually affected by flood waters include; Kaneshie, Adabraka, Weija, Teshie, Dansoman, Tse Addo and Tesano, among others. Drivers should resist and desist from driving through flood waters. In some cases, domestic flights were either delayed or cancelled chiefly/mainly due to heavy rains.

Light aircrafts, such as those used on our domestic routes must take utmost care and avoid flying through deep convective clouds that are associated with severe turbulence and lightning. One does not need professional eyes to tell the cause of this menace we are experiencing as a nation. While the experts attribute the flooding to developments on wetlands and forest conservations, others blame the woes on the experts as drainages in the city of Accra are seen as not fit for purpose. That is, some problems with architectural designs. Besides, the technocrats who are paid by the taxpayers’ money have not helped in this direction. It is now an open secret that most of the buildings put up in waterways and other unauthorized structures/points have the signatures of technocrats on such building plans. If not, they have either seen them or irresponsibly not done their routine inspection with circumspection and diligence.

Following these unfortunate developments that have marked the rainy season so far, the President of the land, Nana Akufo-Addo has directed Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, MMDAs in the Greater Accra region to demolish all structures that cause flooding in the city. How far could this go, as it is believed among the citizenry that bigwigs in society, such as politicians, the clergy, business tycoons, influential traditional and opinion leaders are very much guilty of this?

One would have wished that this directive by the President be added to the Key Performance Indicators of the Monitoring and Evaluation secretariat at the office of the President for strict monitoring. We need as a country to take all cautions on flooding seriously, for it is said that “distrust and caution are the parents of security. It is better to err on the side of daring than the side of caution.”