Dealing with waste management and floods
Time and time again the Ghanaian’s attitude towards waste management has been blamed for the city’s susceptibility to flooding. Although the AMA, Zoomlion and other organisations have helped in some part to correct the rubbish dumping habit of Ghanaians, Accra still floods at the slightest downpour due to filth which has engulfed the city, leaving her gutters choked.
It seems residents of Accra are not mindful of their surroundings and heap refuse anywhere, making filth the daily scene that greets you whenever you step in the capital.
The downpour of Tuesday night triggered a disaster which will forever remain in Ghana's history books and triggered events that those who lost properties and loved ones as a consequence will never forget.
The effectiveness of the drainage system, constructed to enable water flow easily through defined channels whenever there is a downpour, is reduced by littering. This leaves the water with no other choice but to abide by the laws of physics and force its way through the path of least resistance - out of the gutters and on to the streets, eventually resulting in the flooding that besieged the capital.
While some blame the floods on the slow pace of construction works, others have also expressed fear that there could be an outbreak of diseases in the communities affected.
Comparing the sewerage system of central Accra with the density of its population, it is evident that the available sewerage system is grossly insignificant and dysfunctional and that waste management has become a chronic challenge for city authorities.
Due to Ghana's geographic location, the fact that she will intermittently suffer heavy rainfall will never change meaning that there is always going to be the risk of flooding. However, in order to minimize such causalities when the rains do arrive, the citizens of Accra urgently need to undergo a change in attitude and behaviour towards waste disposal. As we have seen, the actions of those who load our sewers with waste have possibly contributed to the destruction of property, livelihoods and lives.
Beatrice Baiden, e.tv Ghana News
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