Some residents of Kumasi displaced by floods in June 2017[/caption]
Just a couple of years ago, people living in Kumasi would have had a troll at residents of Accra for the perennial flooding of the capital city, whenever the rains set in.
But today, makeshift swimming pools abound in Ghana’s second largest city – homes, markets and streets are now abodes of flood waters anytime the heavens open.
Flooding is indeed a growing phenomenon in the Garden City; buildings are submerging, people are drowning and communities are being displaced.
The excessive flood waters in the past two months have collapsed bridges and washed away bitumen on roads, worsening the already pothole-ridden deplorable roads.
Arterial roads are almost impassable with floods everywhere.
Unlike Accra which is a coastal city, flood should not be a natural occurrence in Kumasi. This makes the situation pathetic.
The reasons for flooding are not far-fetched but the solution to arrest the havoc caused by rain waters is eluding city authorities.
Poor Waste Management
Each downpour exposes the city’s poor waste management. Uncollected solid waste and other materials indiscriminately disposed swim in the flood.
When people are unable to access waste bins within their immediate environs, they tend to litter and dump their waste into gutters, water bodies, along streets and other open spaces.
Poorly disposed waste eventually chokes the free flow of liquid waste. When rain water cannot have free passage through the filth, flooding rears its head.
Poor Drainage Systems
Most communities lack good drainage systems for liquid waste disposal and passage of flood waters. Rivers and streams have turned into urban sewage systems.
Each downpour therefore puts a strain on bridges and roads and the floods explore outlets to run out.
The waters either find rest in homes or push structures off its way to run out. Along the line comes the devastation.
Defective Urban Planning
Kumasi is fast developing into a cosmopolitan city, but a cursory observation of new constructions and infrastructural development points to a defective urban planning.
New communities and building projects are haphazardly springing up on wetlands and water bodies; trees are being fallen indiscriminately for modern building structures; and there are no flood control contingencies.
The city’s poor environmental regulations put the ecosystem at great risk.
