Ghana must wake up: Floods are not only natural disasters; they reflect our failure in sanitation enforcement

The recent devastating floods affecting Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and other parts of Ghana must force us as a nation to confront a painful truth: many of our flood disasters are not caused by rain alone, but by years of poor sanitation enforcement and collective neglect.

As a Ghanaian who grew up in the era of the old Town Council system, I remember a time when sanitary inspectors regularly moved through communities ensuring compounds were clean, drains were clear, waste was properly managed, and households violating sanitation rules were fined.

https://youtu.be/1R38U6HXT8k?si=M7G706saw4xOo4L-

Those systems worked.
Today, despite modern institutions and the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, the enforcement structures that once protected our environment have weakened.

The result is clear:
• Choked gutters filled with plastic waste

• Buildings constructed on waterways
• Poor drainage maintenance
• Annual flooding destroying lives and property

While climate change increases rainfall intensity globally, Ghana’s flooding crisis is largely worsened by human negligence and weak enforcement.

As a nation approaching 69 years since independence, we must act urgently.

I call for:
1. Restoration of active sanitation inspectorate units in all districts.

2. Strict enforcement and fines for poor waste disposal.

3. Regular desilting of drains before every rainy season.

4. Protection of wetlands and waterways from illegal development.

5. Nationwide environmental education and community sanitation discipline.

Ghana cannot continue reacting only after disaster strikes.

The systems that once worked must be revived, modernized, and enforced.

Flood prevention is not only a government responsibility — it is a national responsibility.

Ghana Must Wake Up. The Time To Act Is Now.
Michael Agoe Quayenor
National Ambassador – Ghana
Unity of Nations Action for Climate Change Council (UNACCC)

Climate Governance Advocate | Environmental Sustainability Champion