Perennial flooding is the most common natural catastrophe in Ghana right now. According to the World Bank, Ghana is one of the countries in West Africa that is most prone to floods, which has disastrous consequences, especially for the urban poor. In 2017, Ghana was hit by severe floods that displaced over a million people (IFRC, 2017). Apart from the annual occurrence of major floods, Ghana has experienced a spiraling disaster caused by floods that have disrupted critical infrastructure. For example, in 2015, Accra was hit by a series of natural and human-caused disasters, including floods and fire. During the rainy season, some urban settlements, particularly Accra and Kumasi, are increasingly flooded. Climate change is increasingly being linked to rising flood incidences.
Rainfall flooding, unlike certain natural disasters, may be controlled with adequate planning and the installation of appropriate infrastructure. Flooding in Ghana is mostly caused by humans, with poor urban planning practices and inadequate environmental infrastructure playing a role. To address this, the Ghanaian government has implemented a number of flood mitigation programs. These include the National Water Policy (Government of Ghana, 2007), which establishes flood mitigation measures such as flood early warnings, mitigation methods adopted in conjunction with impacted communities, and the enforcement of buffer zone rules.
With the rise of floods in Ghana, however, laws like the new Land Act, which was enacted by Parliament and signed by the President on December 23, 2020, were unable to capture or address concerns of ownership and administration of green spaces and other environmentally sensitive places. Flooding is also exacerbated by development or constructions built in an inappropriate location in a spatial context. The same new Land Act 2020 (Act 1036) could not give planners the power to prosecute illegal developments.
As a result of the scale and nature of Ghana’s floods, exact estimates for displacements, losses, and fatalities are impossible to determine due to incomplete recordkeeping and reporting. Flooding is a danger to long-term sustainability since it has negative consequences for the economy, health, social life, and environment. It also jeopardizes Ghana’s ability to meet global sustainable development goals.
Drivers of flooding in Ghana
The root causes of flooding are human-induced aggravation and human-nature interactions. Flooding is primarily caused by inadequate or non-existent drainage systems. Many residential areas rely on natural drainage channels because they lack a drainage system. Increased urbanization also means that more places are constructed of concrete, which cannot absorb water, resulting in increased runoff.
Another known issue is poor waste management. Flooding is exacerbated by citizens’ negative attitudes about garbage disposal and local authorities’ failure to provide waste disposal services. In metropolitan areas, it is typical for sewers to become clogged with garbage. Other concerns include uncontrolled urbanization – Ghana has a high pace of urbanization with little in the way of urban infrastructure and services. To meet housing demands, agricultural lands are rapidly being converted to residential developments. There is also a lack of compliance with planning requirements. As a result, construction projects on natural floodplains and storm water routes have been undertaken. Flooding has been increased as a result of this.
Corruption is a factor as well. It is not commonplace for city planners to take bribes and ignore problems. Unauthorized use of land and alterations to permitted construction plans are examples. Some citizens additionally take advantage of the ineffective development control loophole by extending their buildings beyond the allowed areas. They sometimes go so far as to construct structures over drains. All of these things have an impact on long-term growth.
What needs to be done
Appropriate action is required to alleviate the country’s escalating flooding. Ghana currently lacks a flood management policy framework. The lack of necessary legal and policy frameworks reflects the low priority assigned to flood control and management in Ghana. The way to go is to combine flood risk management with spatial design.
Ghana has a history of focusing on post-disaster flood response rather than flood mitigation. The Ghanaian government’s disaster risk management plan has made reducing and addressing flood risk a national priority. But nothing concrete has been accomplished. There are plenty of research institutions and agencies in the government with the expertise to develop flood risk control strategies. The National Disaster and Management Organization for example, has a Hydrometeorological Disasters Department that maps flood-prone locations across the country using a geographic information system. Despite this, there is no efficient national early warning system for floods in place at the state and local levels.
On its part, the Ghana Meteorological Agency produces seasonal rainfall forecasts, but communication remains ineffective or problematic. The present government bodies lack integration and coordination, and they frequently carry out flood control initiatives without consulting one another.
Information and communication technology tools could be used to combine sustainable urban planning and green infrastructure. When flooding occurs, citizens can utilize these to contact with the appropriate authorities.
Ghana’s recurring flooding must be addressed if the country is to progress. Flooding caused by humans must be addressed as soon as possible. Failure to do so will cause the country’s progress toward sustainable development to be impeded.
Source: Benjamin Amoah
*This story has been reproduced from the different media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Ghana Institute of Planners*
