Flooding as defined by Wikipedia “is the overflow of water
onto land that is normally dry”. This situation often occurs when there is a
heavy rain, when ocean waves come on shore, when snow melts too fast or when
dams break. The Ga Central Municipal Area was carved out of the Ga south
Municipal Area. The area has a land size of 48,997 square kilometers with a
population of 117,220 according to the 2010 Population and Housing Census (PHC).
It shares boundaries with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to the south, Ga West
Municipal Assembly to the East and North, and with the Ga South Municipal
Assembly to the west. The area is made up of high lying areas as well as low
lying areas. Due to myriad reasons anytime there is a heavy downpour in the
municipality some parts of the community are submerged in water. These include
the haphazard way of putting up structures by members of the community, lack of
proper land administration silted gutters, storm drains and the Laffa stream
either due to dumping of refuse or trapping of sands as result of the poor
drainage system and soil erosion in the area as well as the poor road network.
Many developers put up structures without recourse to laid-down
plans and procedures of the Municipal Authority. In doing so the natural course
of rain water is often diverted by most of these developers thereby creating
floods in hitherto dry areas. Poor supervision by the Authorities as well as the
cunning way of the developers has led to numerous such cases. Those mostly
affected are often those who have done the proper thing. These sometimes lead
to quarrels between residents during situations of flood.
Due to lack of proper land administration in the area, land
owners sell lands that are in marshy areas to developers who also go ahead and
develop them and are frequently the victims whenever there is a downpour.
Silted gutters, storm drains and the Laffa stream makes it
impossible for the free flow of rain water leading to spillage that causes
flood. Whiles sand from untarred roads, irresponsible members of the community
also dump their solid waste into the gutters creating silt that makes it
impossible for the free flow of water into the storm drains and natural water
ways.
Periodic dredging of the Laffa which also helps in
preventing floods has also not been forthcoming. The timing of this exercise is
also a factor. If dredging is done before the onset of the rains it will yield
positive results. However it is often the case that dredging is done sometimes
when the rains have started coming in which sometimes make it impossible for
the heavy machines to access the soft grounds for dredging to be carried out.
The poor nature of the road infrastructure in the area is
one of the major causes of floods in the area. Some roads have been constructed
while a host of others have not been constructed. This situation leads to
dumping of sands on the tarred road leading to the destruction of the already
tarred roads.
In conclusion it
is only proper to look at some remedies to the problem of flooding in the
municipality. Whiles the citizens should act responsibly in the communities;
Local Authority should also play their roles in ensuring that the right drainage
and road infrastructure are provided in the community. Land and property
administration should be strictly regulated to prevent such occurrences in the
future. Citizens should avail themselves for the periodic cleanup exercise that
is carried out to de-silt the gutters. There should be adequate education of
members of the communities on the consequences of their actions such as the
dumping of waste in the gutters and cutting down of trees which often leads to
erosion. Rather members of the communities should be urged to plant more trees
in their various places of abode. With the right dredging and improved road and
drainage infrastructure as well as right attitude of the people, flooding will
become a thing of the past in the Ga Central municipality.
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