Associate Professor at the School of Law, University of Ghana, Prof. Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, has criticised successive governments for failing to address the root causes of Ghana’s perennial flooding, describing it as a sign that leadership takes the lives of citizens for granted.
He made the remarks on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, 24th May, in reaction to recent floods that affected parts of the Greater Accra Region.
According to Prof. Appiagyei-Atua, the flooding problem stems from “a culture of indiscipline,” evident both in the failure of law enforcement agencies to ensure compliance and in the irresponsible actions of individuals who continue to build in waterways.
“The problem is not just with leadership. It also involves indiscipline among law enforcers and those who build illegally,” he noted.
His comments followed confirmation by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) that five people lost their lives in the recent flooding on Sunday, 18th May.
NADMO attributed the fatalities to poor drainage infrastructure and unregulated urban planning, longstanding issues that have hindered the capital city’s flood management efforts.
Speaking to Channel One TV, NADMO’s Director of Inspectorate, Richard Amo Yartey, revealed that “three of the deaths occurred in the Ga East Municipality, while two others were reported in Adenta.”
He emphasised that unless urgent action is taken to improve infrastructure and enforce regulations, such tragedies will continue to recur.