In June last year, our Country experienced torrential rainfalls which caused widespread flooding in Accra and other low lying areas in some parts of Ghana. We recall that on June 3, 2015 severe rainfalls brought in their wake very serious flooding, and a devastating explosion at a Fuel Station near the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange in Accra. The floods and the fires that engulfed the area claimed about 160 lives and left more than 50 people injured.
Since the onset of the rains this year, there have been reported cases of flooding in several parts of the country. The streets of Accra for example, have again been left under water after a heavy downpour that caused widespread flooding early last week.
Following the June 2015 disaster, there seems to be no serious action that has been taken or is being taken to address the perennial flooding in the country. The Government at that time promised that it would put in place measures to prevent future floods, including unblocking drainage systems and waterways. It has become more or less a cliché or a swan song of any Government that is confronted with this annual challenge or ritual.
The Catholic Standard has every reason to worry because if more preventable measures are not taken early enough this year, the Country may go through a similar situation if not worse. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Accra usually receives about 221 mm (8.7 inches) of rains throughout the entire month of June. Based on historic records, it appears that the frequency, magnitude, and duration of floods have increased substantially during the last few decades.
We are therefore appealing to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to intensify its educational or awareness-creation pogrammes by urging people who have built in water ways and low lying areas to move to higher grounds to avoid the loss of lives and property should the rains cause water levels to rise very high.
For The Catholic Standard, permanent and drastic solutions are necessary if we are to adequately address this perennial situation. We would like to commend the new Chief Executive Officer of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly for embarking on a demolishing exercise of structures in waterways. Those who flout building regulations should not be spared, and the law must work without fear or favour.
It is very obvious that much of the flooding, particularly in the cities is as a result of the poor sewage infrastructure and the blocking of the drainage systems by debris such as polythene bags and plastic bottles.
The Catholic Standard is making a passionate appeal to the Government to place a ban on the use of non-degradable polythene bags and wrappers. This is not impossible to implement. It has been done in other African countries; Rwanda is a very good example. The plan of President Akufo-Addo to make Accra one of the cleanest if not the cleanest city in Africa may not materialize if measures are not taken to curb the filth that is surrounding us. It is an eyesore to see people living under such conditions.
Another challenge that is associated with the heavy rains is that of the collapsing of houses and destruction of crops, particularly in the Northern parts of the country. Indigenous low cost solutions such as changing the housing structures and crop patterns can help reduce the effects of floods. There is also the need to control the felling of tress that often leads to soil erosion and other environmental degradations.
