Accra: The floods that swallow Accra every rainy season are not acts of God alone. They are the receipts for years of human indiscipline, and we can no longer pretend otherwise.
According to Ghana Web, the city's waterways are choking because of unregulated construction on them. Wetlands and flood-prone areas meant to absorb rain have been transformed into real estate. Houses, shops, and estates have been built on land never meant for such development, often without proper planning or permission. City engineers, district assemblies, and municipal authorities have been aware of this issue for years. However, they frequently look on unconcerned while people occupy spaces dangerous for human settlement. When the rains come, the water has nowhere to go except into homes, leading residents to blame the government for inaction.
Power and money have also influenced decision-making processes, allowing influential people and political figures to sway decisions, delay demolitions, and ignore pending issues until disaster strikes. Regulations become negotiable, enforcement becomes selective, and the city pays the price in ruined homes and lost livelihoods. A few individuals cause innocent people to suffer the consequences.
Indiscipline isn't limited to authorities. It's prevalent on the streets, too. Gutters meant to collect and carry rainwater are treated like refuse dumps, filled with plastic bags, sachet water, food waste, and construction debris. When heavy rains arrive, these clogged gutters prevent water from flowing freely, causing it to rise and flood neighborhoods. Many drains are also too narrow for a city that has expanded significantly, leading to submerged homes and washed-away vehicles.
This year, the situation is escalating. Innocent families have watched personal belongings disappear under floodwaters. Homes are completely submerged, and children have been carried to safety by strangers. These are not mere statistics; they are people-neighbors, sisters, fathers, and students-who did nothing wrong but trust their city to protect them.
There is an urgent need to change attitudes. Citizens who litter must be held accountable, as should authorities responsible for regulating construction on waterways. Accountability cannot be one-sided, where only the populace is blamed while officials sign off on illegal developments. Both parties must answer for their actions. Innocent children have been swept away by the floods, highlighting the painful reality of choked drains and blocked waterways.
Heavy rains have transformed streets into raging rivers, claiming lives, homes, and dreams in moments. It is time for Ghanaians to unite, free from political affiliations, and address this issue as one people. Floods do not discriminate based on political party, ethnicity, or religion, and solutions should not either. There is a need for strict enforcement of planning laws, removal of structures on watercourses without bias, regular dredging and widening of drains, proper waste management, and civic education starting at home and in schools. Accra can become a city that respects water rather than fights it, but only if the people collectively decide that indiscipline is no longer acceptable. The rains will come again, and the only question is whether the city will be prepared or offer excuses.