Ghana is flooding

Flooding is a very normal phenomenon in my opinion. The fact is that we are not doing enough to prevent it, so to me it is normal. I watch news around the world and some very developed countries like the US also get flooding as natural occurrence so this menace may be normal. But is it?

A flood is an overflow of water (or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In Ghana, the number one factor to this problem is inadequate infrastructure which includes gutters and good drainage systems. Another contributing factor obviously is climate. We are experiencing very inconsistent rainfall patterns. Sometimes meteorological services have difficulties in predicting the weather because it might look very sunny but within a few minutes, it would be raining.

The situation is getting dire and worse day by day. In a particular instance, a life was lost. The loss of life in times flooding is relatively low in Ghana but the loss and damage of property is huge and brings a lot of financial burden to the government and country as a whole.

The issue of choked gutters also contributes to floods emergence. When it rains and the and water bodies overflow their banks, it passes through gutters before arriving at reservoirs or the sea but in a case where the gutters are choked, nothing can stop water from flowing so eventually it would find its way into our home and we will be at the receiving end of it bad side. We need to desist from throwing rubbish in flowing rivers and keep our environment clean to reduce this problem.

Another factor is that some people also buy lands which are supposed to be waterways for construction of their homes and businesses. So when it rains, their building get washed up and the government again has to find funds to compensate them. Buying of waterlogged lands for construction is also another contributing factor.   

The use of common knowledge in our dealings could possibly help reduce flooding in Ghana. We speak of the same things for years, yet nothing gets done about it. You will only see government commitment, after flooding has occurred, they compensate victims and that is it. The next year, same story and we keep living in the same canker year by year. As frustrating as this is, I hope we get to learn the bitter truth that we are the causers of our problems and till we change, we will continue to be in peril.  

Green Cheers