Photos: Accra floods twice in four days
Accra has been flooded for the second time in four days.
The most recent incident occurred when the rain began at midnight on Tuesday, 24 May 2022.
The rain that lasted for almost eight hours caused traffic congestion on major roads in the capital.
As the deluge continued, Ghanaians flocked to social media to share videos of flooded areas, where the rains had caused massive havoc.
Affected places in the capital include Kaneshie, Adabraka, Weija, Teshie, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Dansoman, Tse Addo, and Tesano.
The previous incident on Saturday night saw a similar situation where many were left counting their losses after the downpour.
The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has already forecast three further bouts of heavy rain in the south by the end of June.
The phenomenon is likely to occur because the rainy season’s peak is nearing, according to Nana Kofi Opoku, the Principal Meteorologist at GMET’s Research and Applied Meteorological Department.
“When we look at climatology and the forecast that we released for the March, April, May, and June season, it looks like we have on average, three more such incidents to occur,” he said.
Destruction by floods
Many lives have been lost and properties destroyed due to the annual floods.
In 2011, floods in the country resulted in the death of more than 30 people nationwide, with 15 victims in Accra.
In 2015, 159 people were confirmed dead from a twin disaster of floods and fire explosion.
It was one of the deadliest catastrophes to befall the country, leading to days of mourning as families lost their loved ones.
A fire explosion occurred after several hours of rain and flooding around the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange enclave.
In June 2020, a man died trying to warn neighbours about flooding at Odawna in Accra.
A resident explained that the deceased was trying to salvage some items during the flooding when he was electrocuted.
At Achimota, a bus was trapped in a storm drain. It was not carrying passengers. At least 20 persons were rescued from that incident after a downpour that lasted hours.
Flooding in Accra has also killed people and displaced people in the city in 1995, 1997, 2001 and 2010.
Interventions by authorities
For many Ghanaians, the annual ritual of the capital city flooding has become a cause of anger.
Efforts by the city authorities to check the situation continue to be undermined by recalcitrant residents and the weak enforcement of bye-laws.
The government has attempted to address this problem by dredging rivers and gutters before rainy seasons, but this appears to be ineffective.
In May 2019, President Nana Akufo-Addo inspected two major projects handed out in 2016 to Dredge Masters Limited for the desilting and dredging of the Odaw channel and restoration of the Korle Lagoon to avert the perennial flooding in Accra.
The scope of work also included the redesign and construction of the KLERP interceptor and breakwater at the outfall.
The channel under the scope starts from the Odaw Onyasia confluence at Carprice in Accra, through Avenor, Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, and the Agbogbloshie-South Kaneshie drain (the Upper and Lower Lagoon).
The two projects the president inspected were the Accra Sanitary Sewer and Storm Water Drainage Alleviation Project at Circle and the Drainage Construction at Kaneshie 1st Light Intersection.
Other causes of floods are the improper planning of settlement in Accra, choked gutters that block the drainage system and a few other human factors.
Below are some comments on social media:
Waking up in Accra today… how’s your morning going? pic.twitter.com/KAmjKnkEXf
— Cooper Inveen (@cinveen) May 24, 2022
Seeing Accra flooded indeed breaks my heart
— Obedient Ankrah (@ObedientAnkrah) May 24, 2022
Those coming to towards kaneshie to Accra and circle….unless u find another rout 🌨🌨🌨⛈ pic.twitter.com/DE0JWHAtsi
— Wellington🔞 (@kash_phama07) May 24, 2022
Accra rain wahala….. pic.twitter.com/rK2r3GnCRc
— Quku (@broQuku) May 24, 2022
When the rains come, Accra floods. Every year! But still no solution to it.
— Oluwakayode (@j_loms) May 24, 2022