President John Dramani Mahama has attributed Accra’s persistent flooding largely to human indiscipline and widespread encroachment on natural waterways, insisting that engineering failures do not primarily cause the capital’s flood crisis.
Speaking at a diaspora town hall meeting in the United Kingdom on Sunday, May 31, the President argued that careless waste disposal, unchecked construction on waterways, and the destruction of wetlands have significantly worsened flooding across the city.
“The flooding in Accra is not an engineering problem. It is just a problem of indiscipline,” President Mahama stated. “It’s not an engineering problem; it’s a problem of indiscipline.”
He explained that despite the existence of drainage systems, residents continue to dump plastic waste, sachet water wrappers, and other refuse into drains, causing blockages that lead to flooding during heavy rains.
“We have drains, and everybody says, ‘Why don’t you do sealed drains?’ But the problem is that when we do sealed drains, people drink sachet water, eat food in styrofoam containers, and just dump them anywhere. These plastics wash into the drains and block them,” he said.
Beyond poor sanitation practices, President Mahama pointed to Accra’s geographical location and the increasing occupation of natural watercourses as major contributors to the flooding problem.
According to him, several streams, including the Lafa, Densu, Sakumo, Korle and Odaw, naturally carry rainwater from the Akuapem Ridge towards the Atlantic Ocean. However, rapid urban development has disrupted these natural pathways.
“Then you come and build a city in the path of those streams. What do you expect the streams to do?” he questioned.
The President also criticised the sale of lands located within waterways and wetlands, warning that such practices continue to expose communities to flooding.
He highlighted the importance of Ramsar sites and wetlands, explaining that they serve as natural flood-control systems by absorbing excess water and releasing it gradually into the sea.
“When you fill and build, fill and build, you are reducing the size of the wetlands. When the water comes, what is left cannot contain it, and so it overflows and floods people’s houses,” he explained.
President Mahama revealed that aerial inspections have shown numerous instances where buildings have been erected directly across natural streams, obstructing the flow of water and causing floods in surrounding communities.
“I’ve seen from the air a stream coming from the Akuapem Mountain Range, and then it reaches somewhere, and people have built across it. The stream has nowhere to continue, so it floods houses in front and behind,” he said.
He defended government efforts to remove structures built on waterways, arguing that such actions are necessary to prevent future disasters despite public criticism.
“Now when the government takes action and begins breaking people’s houses out of the waterway, the same people complain. But that is the challenge we face,” he noted.
