Editorial: Accra flooding conundrum needs holistic approach

A heavy downpour that hit parts of Accra yesterday has reportedly killed a number of people. The Chronicle is not much alarmed over this, because, year in and out, we experience it but we, as citizens have not taken any steps to stop the disaster from recurring. Though anytime there is a heavy downpour and resultant floods occur, the government of the day is blamed for what has happened, The Chronicle begs to differ from this school of thought.
Apart from climate change, which is the source of this natural disaster, the human factor is also contributing to the problem. Here in Ghana, and majority of the sub Saharan African countries, we do not care a hoot about the way we dispose of plastic material. Though plastic materials are non-biodegradable, the way we get rid of them leaves much to be desired.
Unfortunately these materials find their ways into our gutters and eventually impede the free flow of water when it rains.
If we accept that the problem is of human error, then The Chronicle does not buy into the idea that we must construct a subterranean drainage system where people would not be able to throw garbage into the drains anymore. Though this is laudable initiative, the $10 billion cost being put out there by the Minister for Works and Housing is way beyond the means of a developing country like ours.
We need to also understand the fact that our drains have been covered does not mean they cannot get choked if people keep on disposing of plastic materials in an irresponsible way. The plastic materials would definitely go through the intake point of the drain, and block the passage of the flood water. In such situations, the government will spend huge sums of money to desilt it, which work cannot easily be carried out, because the drains have been covered.
The Chronicle admits that in the developed world that is the strategy they have adopted, but they do not litter their streets indiscriminately, as we doing here in Ghana. The wholesale importation of the concept cannot, therefore, be practicable in Ghana.
The Chronicle is, therefore, suggesting to the Housing Ministry to allocate part of its annual budget to the education of the masses about the need to properly dispose of waste materials.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of radio stations in the country, and if each morning show host dedicates about five minutes of his or her airtime to educate listeners about the way to properly get rid of waste material, it would go a long way in helping to tackle the problem and eventually uproot it.
Some years back, we even suggested the possibility of including in the curriculum of basic schools, the study of how to dispose of plastic materials, and the need to avoid littering our streets.
Our suggestion is based on the fact that if the children are taught about these environmental issues, they will live and grow with it. Children also respect instructions from their teachers, and will be the first to rebuke their own parents if they frown on the protection of the environment, because of what they have been told in school.
The problem at hand needs a long term solution, and even though the construction of covered drains is one of the long term answers, it must be preceded by education for Ghanaians to understand how dangerous it is to litter the streets.
Another problem we need to tackle is the rapid destruction of our wetlands. The latter usually retains flood waters and releases them in small volumes downstream. This helps to prevent flooding, but the unfortunately, most of these wetlands are being destroyed for residential and commercial purposes. This unfortunate development must be checked if we are to solve the perennial floods in Accra and beyond.

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