The perennial floods that cause nightmarish moments for most of the residents of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region look likely to stop this year.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, has announced that most of the bridges in the flood-prone areas in Kumasi will be fixed and big drains desilted, because heavy rains are being anticipated.
Some residents of the city, especially those that live in the flood-prone areas, always encounter difficult moments during rainy seasons and there have been instances where the annual floods have destroyed valuable properties or even led to deaths.
He said the government was aware of the situation and had subsequently rolled out a plan to help curb the perennial floods before the rains set in.
Mr. Osei-Mensah, who was interacting with journalists in Kumasi, said “we have carried out a research and realized that in some places their bridges are too small and as a result it leads to floods whenever it rains. Government has, therefore, planned ahead to reconstruct some of the smaller bridges into bigger bridges in order to help curb the floods,†he said.
For instance, the minister said a smaller bridge at TUC Junction, where it floods easily during rainy seasons, may be reconstructed.
He announced that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) had commenced the desilting of some choked drains ahead of the rains.
The minister lauded the KMA for a good work done to help stop floods and urged other assemblies to emulate that shining example.
Besides, he admonished Kumasi residents to keep their environment clean at all times to help stop floods in the city.
Dozens have been killed in flooding in Somalia that has affected nearly 1 million people and displaced over 400 thousand from their homes, according to the United Nations.
People struggled to wade through floodwater in the central Somalian city of Beledweyne after the Shabelle river burst its banks on Sunday and 1,200 people have been left marooned as roads are cut off.
The deluge left much of Beledweyne drenched and officials feared the flooding may spark the outbreak of diseases.
Hassan Elmi is a Beledweyne resident. He said, “the flooding here has affected the entire city. Yesterday the water marker was lower but this morning it is up again. Things have changed and as you can see people are very worried about their safety. The government is helping some people, but those who are too weak or old need more help because they cannot wade through these flooded streets because the water is moving too fast.â€
At least 24 have died so far.
The flooding was caused by heavy rain, which also drenched the highlands of neighbouring Ethiopia.
Six hours of heavy rainfall has left several houses inundated and residents in Cape Coast and its environs trapped indoors.
Following the downpour which started Tuesday, major roads have been rendered impassable by motorists amid heavy vehicular traffic.
School authorities have cautioned parents not to risk bringing their wards to school considering the situation.
The University of Cape Coast has also suspended lectures as campus gets flooded.
The downpour in the Central region comes in the wake of a series of floods that have hit parts of the country in a surprise change in the rainfall pattern.
Ashanti region floods
Five people have been confirmed dead and one missing following heavy rain that caused flooding in some parts of Kumasi in the Ashanti region.
Also, flooding struck in Obuasi after a downpour lasting around 2 hours on Wednesday, 15 May 2019. Reports said areas affected included Brahabebome, Tutuka, and Akaporiso.
This is one of several spates of flash flooding to affect the country since March this year.
Various parts of Ghana have seen periods of heavy rain from 13 May 2019.
Upper East floods
Days of heavy rain in north-eastern Ghana and bordering areas of Burkina Faso have caused devastating flooding in the Upper East Region.
The affected districts include Bolgatanga, Kassena-Nankana Municipal (Navrongo),
It is reported that as many as 29 people may have died in flood-related incidents. Media reports also suggested that between 1,000 and 4,000 buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged, including almost 2,000 in Kassena-Nankana Municipal, which includes the town of Navrongo and 830 in the Bongo district.
Spillage from the Tono Irrigation Dam has left 844 hectares of farmland under water in Kassena-Nankana Municipal.
The high death toll was disputed by the government Minister Salifu Saeed, who visited affected areas.
He said 17 people were confirmed dead in the recent flooding in the region and “urged the public to disregard the early publication that said over 27 people had died.”
The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) said it is sending relief items to support communities affected by floods in the Upper East Region.
The flood inundated the Accra-Tema motorway on Monday, October 28, 2019, after about an hour of downpour in the national capital.
The rains flooded many homes in areas such as Legon and the 19-kilometer road (Tema motorway).
Even though the downpour was without the characteristic force that had occasioned many flood situations in the country, it rendered many streets impassable, leaving in its wake heaps of debris of mainly plastic materials as the waters forced their way through choked drains.
Apart from motorists encountering difficulties in driving in the rains, they also had to endure heavy traffic situations at some intersections.
The Acreaty Ghana Limited, a human capital firm in partnership with Dredge Masters Ghana Limited and Netherlands has brought together experts in the engineering sector to dialogue on how to explore new ideas and approach that can be incorporated to existing structures to manage flood-related problems in the country.
The experts, brought from Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Ghana Institute of Engineering, Ghana Irrigation Authority, Ministry of Works and Housing, Jospong Group of Companies among others shared practical solutions on dredging as a possible tool for the management of the challenges of floodings situation in Ghana.
Themed “Sustainable dredging as a tool for effective city planning and flood prevention, the one-day event also serve as a viable platform for the stakeholders to discuss, examine the suitable structural measures that can mitigate flood impacts in Accra.
Addressing the gathering, the Managing Partner for Acreaty Ghana Limited Mrs Elsie Appau-Klu noted that the dialogue “we believe has provided a great platform for both Ghana and Netherlands to share knowledge and information on best and workable practices aimed at managing the flood problems.
She expressed worry about the rising phenomenon of flooding problem which associated with its annual disasters in Ghana, particularly the city of Accra adding that within the past decades, floodings have become a global pandemic, which hampers economic and social development.
He pointed out that on June 3, 2015, Accra experienced an unprecedented flash flood event, coupled with an explosion at a Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) filling station that resulted in a death toll of over 152 lives of persons.
She asserted that “every year our major cities have to struggle in dealing with the menace and blamed the situation on human errors which need a holistic approach to tackle the situation.”
Adding that per the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT): the 2015 flood in Accra resulted in economic loss to the tune of US 108, 200.000.
For his part, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr Solomon A. Asoalla lamented over the increasing rate of flooding disasters saying that the causes of floodings are human-made problems.
He said the Ministry with its associated agencies and stakeholders will take steps to ensure the demolition of buildings in waterways which is a major cause of flooding in Accra as well as the country as a whole.
He sounded a warning to all other developers who do not have permits and build on waterways that they are the next target.
He stressed that we will comply with the law because if we are seen to be enforcing the law, we cannot be seen to be breaking it.
The Registrar of Engineering Council of Ghana, Engineer Wise Ametefe indicated that the council will continue to support the government to intensify public education on the effects of the floodings in the country.
Mr Ametefe minced no words when he expressed disappointment in the Assemblies for being reluctant in performing their mandatory duties to demolish unauthorized building structures including churches on waterways in the country.
According to the Council, the Assemblies should be blamed for the loss of lives and properties in flood-related disasters because they have been mandated to remove all the building structures being built on the waterways.
He could not fathom why the Assemblies would be adopting human faces in their exercise to demolish structures and shops illegally builts on the waterways.
According to him, some of the houses were built without permits and that the owners will be dealt with legally.
Following the torrential rains that battered parts of the country, the European Union has mobilised €50,000 (GH¢306,000) to provide immediate assistance to the most affected families.
The heavy downpour resulted in the loss of life, displacement of people, and caused damage to houses and farmlands.
A statement from the EU office in Ghana said the funding would support the Ghana Red Cross Society to deliver much-needed relief assistance to communities hit by floods.
“It is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC),†the statement said.
Through this assistance, communities are to be provided with shelter, access to clean water, mosquito nets, and basic essential items, amongst others.
At the beginning of October 2019, Ghana registered continuous rains that caused widespread flooding across the country, combined with separate floods that hit the Upper East and West regions due to the overflow of the Bagre Dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
In total, 116 communities from 13 districts have been negatively affected.
It is reported that as many as 29 people lost their lives in flood-related incidents, some houses collapsed and others have been extensively damaged.
Crops have also been swept away and agricultural land has become swamped.
People who lost their homes are currently being given shelter in nearby schools, churches, or with relatives.
Meanwhile, most of the water sources in the flood-hit areas have been contaminated, while sanitation facilities have been destroyed, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.
The statement said support will be given to awareness-raising activities in communities on the prevention of waterborne diseases.