In Ghana, rains are red

Rains are not a new phenomenon but are essential. Climate change alters weather patterns, leading to more frequent droughts and torrential rains. Animals cannot run away from man-made problems, while man can change the narrative to prevent people and their livelihoods from being affected and eventually dying in the waters.

When I came to Ghana in March 2012, I saw new housing developments and open gutters being built to service the newly acquired plots. My heart was full of anger about the obvious madness in the country. Power lines are constructed in the air, while both are buried underground. Open gutters are subject to mosquitoes, urine, and plastics. Underground pipes cost more in investment, while over time, the costs to repair the damage caused by unnecessary flooding cost not only innocent lives but far more money for the nation. Calls to guard gutters are well-intended while preserving the mentality of using them as a national treasure. For the past fourteen years, Ghana has not changed, according to my personal observation. Other countries would have solved the man-made problem a long time ago.

In Europe, flooding is a constant challenge. The flood waters are not filled with dead children, and the waters have turned red. Houses and properties, like cars, are constantly lost in Europe and the USA. Insurance companies find it increasingly challenging to cover affected house owners. They pay out to victims of severe flooding, demanding structural changes to houses and public spaces, like flood gates, to continue accepting insurance cover for certain known areas of potential rainfall problems. In Germany, house insurance covering fire is mandatory. More people paying into an insurance pool bring down premium prices. Companies and private people alike force European politicians to allocate funds to interventions able to protect them from flooding in the following year and years. And it is done!

In Ghana, house and company owners have no insurance cover against the aftermath of flooding. Countries like the Netherlands, the UK and Germany, especially Hamburg, have the technical knowledge to set up structures to prevent flood waters from harming citizens and companies. To call them in to assist Ghana is a frustrating and useless exercise, as most experts will be aware that they are used as an alibi for politicians in Ghana not to do what is right, eventually getting the blame for the situation, which they cannot be blamed for.

To relocate part of Accra to another site in Ghana without changing the failed system behind the ongoing flood problem means the problem will follow to the new site and stay with the current Accra as it is. Solving this problem under a democratic system with rival parties like NPP and NDC will never be possible. Dr Kwame Nkrumah had drafted a master plan for Accra, and it was never followed through, close to seventy years after independence. Instead, patchy work here and there created a city congested with traffic, public transport and red rains falling. Instead of being a working and living city for people, workers and companies to enjoy, Accra has become a headache with built-in problems that only by force can break loose.