ritual destruction by heavy rains, who is to be blamed

By Helena selby

Who is to be blamed, Is it the people, the government or nature? Of course no one is prepared to accept the blame as each of them has a reason behind every attitude portrayed. Nature will say it is time for the wet season and that rain is suppose to fall in this part of the world so as to give food to the people and even fill the akosomba dam to give hydro-electrical power. It is then expected of the people and the government to make provision for the decision of nature as certain decision of nature is inevitable besides there is no way the earth will be destroyed by water like during the days of Noah again, biblical words confirms it.. Who is to be blamed? Now that nature is out of the picture, the people will say it’s the government and the government will say, it’s the people. In a nut shell no one is prepared to accept the blame so as to make things right for the nation.

Flooding in Ghana has become a plague in the lives of Ghanaians. It isn’t the first, the second or the third time flood is occuring in the country but almost every year yet no lesson has been taken. Almost every year lives, property and livelihoods are lost and even when not fortunate diseases epidemic strikes. The people have refused to adhere to education town planners who are under the government have in a way refused to do their work. The blame as a result must be put on the people and the government as the people refuses to build at suitable places and the government refusing to improve the drainage system of the country.

Events of flooding

In June 2007 it was reported by the GNA that at least five persons have been confirmed dead and hundreds of residents have been forced out of their houses as floods wreaked havoc in parts of Accra after a downpour. “In the same year 2007 in the north of the country at least 20 people have died and an estimated 400,000 have been affected. Many of them are now homeless. It is feared that outbreaks of diseases such as cholera are likely due to the contamination of the water supply. Homes, schools, crops and livestock have been washed away. Regional Minister, Alhassan Samari, appealled to the public to donate to flood victims, as Mustapha Hamid presents part of Akufo-Addo’s donation of ¢200m worth of relief items to the Upper East and Northern regions.

In June 20, 2009 during the rainy season it was again reported that five people have so far been confirmed dead by the Kaneshie Police, after heavy downpour, which also destroyed property worth millions of Ghana cedis in parts of the Accra Metropolis. The floods also swept a number of cars on the highway leading to motor accidents and serious traffic jam. Some of the vehicles were abandoned by their owners, who walked to safety in the rising volumes of water.

This year june 20 2010 NADMO has confirmed that about 11 people have met their untimely death as a result of the flood. Ashaiman, Lakeside Estate At Ashalley Botwe And Parts Of Afienya, Dawhenya, Tema Newtown, Klagon and Lashibi are the main affected areas. According to Ashaiman Police Crimes Officer, ASP Felix Asare six bodies has been brought out of the flood. Further report indicates that two of the victims were found trapped under the Ashaiman tunnel underneath the Accra-Tema motorway.
Nine more bodies were found in Tema, Kpone and Ashaiman and have since been deposited at the Tema General Hospital morgue and about 3,000 people had their houses submerged by floods in Tema’’.

There has been further reports that parts of the Volta Region, specifically the Ketu South District and parts of the Central Region including Swedru, were hit severely by the floods. At Swedru, two people are reported dead. The death toll in Sunday's torrential rains and floods that followed has risen to 24 following the discovery of 13 more bodies, 12 at Agona Swedru, a town 85 kilometres west of here, and one in the Volta region.

Government and the people’s attitude towards flooding

From every indication the government and the people have not yet learnt their lessons as they have not learnt to prevent the previous occurrences of flooding this year. Looks like in other to make the NADMO useful and productive disasters like the flood need to occur every year. The prevention has rarely been considered but always the cure. It is important for the government to put in place infrastructures like good drainage system to prevent disasters such as this rather than always waiting for it to happen and later going to donate and even ridiculing themselves to call for international support to save a situation that they could have easily prevented. It about time government realizes that donating and paper work solution is not the answer towards the eradication of flood in the country. As the number of death and destruction increases by the year the government should not wait till the number double in size before drastic measures are taken.

According to reports in 2009 Dr.Hannah Bisiw (Deputy Works and Housing Minister) announced that government had allocated $25million to combat flooding in some parts of Accra. Yes, $25 million. However from the look of things the combating of the situation was not good enough

It is very pitiful that many communities in Ghana lack good drainage system, those that have drainage system are either small in size that cannot even hold enough water during the rainy season or they have been choked by either rubbish or sand. This makes it even impossible for these gutters to even protect the people from flood even when it drizzles more or less a heavy rain.

The people are also at fault as they refuse to adhere to education of not building besides water ways as there is the probability of it causing flood. The causes of flood in some part of Ashaiman and Weija is as a result of the people building on water way. It is as well the doing of the people in the sense that, even the limited gutters provided for them is used as a dumping site by them. No one is willing to even clean gutters right in front of their houses as they always deem it the obligation of the government. Many people see it as mere wickedness when the town planners mark their buildings for demolishing. for these people government wants to take over the land which always is not case but sometimes for their own good as the location in question might be a water way or near a river or lake.

Way forward

Even though educating the people to build on proper location and the government increasing it drainage system is the solution towards the prevention of flood in the country E B Danquah of KWABENG, ATIWA, in Ghana has indication that Ghana will flood again if proper measures are not taken by the government and the people to combat the issue of flood in the country.

According to him open concrete ‘gutters’ have an extraordinarily high tendency to trap rubbish when uncontrolled, and choke up as compared to properly designed buried PVCs interspersed with catchpit manholes. They breed mosquitoes, cause malaria; they are an eyesore and are the least efficient but most expensive surface drainage option. He said it will be appropriate if government ban the construction of open drainage channels or gutters by contractors who delight in doing shoddy works. However must make it obligatory for each building to have a rainwater downpipe linked to a proper roof gutter system. When one has a rainwater downpipe linked to a roof gutter the chaos of the 40% running off the roof to join the 60% which already puts open drains and culverts at its mercy is arrested.

He said once this arrest of 40% of all rain water falling in Accra is made, homeowners have two choices, if you have an underground tank or a well in your house, one can direct the rainwater downpipe into it or channelled into the nearest storm water sewer or ‘gutter’; the most important thing is that that 40% of water falling on roofs is kept under control.

Conclusion

The rain is a good servant but a bad master. It has helped to fill the akosombo dam for electrical power for the people but has also caused great havoc in the lives of the people. Lives, property and livelihoods of people are lost. As the rain becomes stagnant after destruction there is the tendency of mosquitoes breeding leading to the spread of malaria and other disease causative agents which might spread cholera, typhoid and dysentery in affected communities. Crops that the people need to depend on for food are destroyed hence the shortage of food in the country. Roads are destroyed and even the business becomes still hence money is lost.

It amazing how rain can cause the whole of these if it is not controlled. The above mentioned event and situation definitely does not help in the development of the country, it is therefore the responsibility of the people and the government to make things right.