Floods in Ghana

Flooding in Ghana is a recurring natural disaster affecting multiple regions of the country, driven by heavy rainfall, poor urban planning, environmental degradation, and sometimes controlled dam spillage. These floods have significant social, economic, and environmental impacts, leading to property damage, displacement of communities, and challenges for local and national authorities.

Floods in Ghana refer to a series of flood incidents that have caused property damage and loss of life. Floods are caused by excessive rainfall and dam spillages.^[1] Flooding is a recurring natural disaster that has become a defining challenge for the country's environmental, economic, and political discourse. Ghana's tropical climate typically has two main seasons: a dry season and a rainy season. There is the major rainy season and the minor rainy season. In southern Ghana, the major rainy season occurs from April to mid-June, while the minor rainy season typically runs from September to November.^[2] The dry season generally extends from December to March, although these patterns have varied slightly in recent years due to climate change.^[3] Ghana's ecology, characterized by distinct rainy seasons, predisposes both coastal and inland regions to heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding. The intense major rainy season and climate change have contributed to the growing severity and frequency of flood events across the nation.^[4]

The impact of flooding is a complex dynamic. In urban centres such as Accra, chronic flooding disrupts transportation network, displaces communities, claims lives, and strains the states limited emergency response systems like the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO).^[5][6] Rural and urban communities are equally affected during floods as these events lead to immediate material and human losses but also impose long-term economic burdens by diverting public resources towards recovery. The cost of repeated flood damage affects national development and compromises efforts to address other socio-economic challenges.^[7] Politically, flooding has emerged as a contentious issue linked with government, policymaking, urban planning, public accountability, and, to some extent, corruption. Historical and contemporary floods have revealed significant gaps in urban planning and disaster management strategies and influencing electoral politics.^[8]

Flooding in Ghana can be traced back to as early as the 1930s,^[9] with the significant flood recorded in 1955, 1960, 1963, 1973, 1986, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2020, 2022, and most recently 2023.^[10][11][12] Sometime in 2023, following a recent flood, a photograph of the front page of the Daily Graphic from 1960 was widely circulated on social media.^[13] On Monday, April 18, 1960, that very front page carried the headline "When the Rains Came to Accra" and featured two images depicting flooding in the city.^[14] In pre-colonial Ghana, local communities adapted to the natural patterns of the environment and developed traditional knowledge and coping strategies to cope with seasonal floods.^[15] However, colonial rule brought changes with the introduction of land use practices and urban planning in coastal towns, altering the natural drainage patterns that curbed flooding. Following Ghana's independence in 1957, there was accelerated urbanisation in Accra that made it vulnerable to flood. Post-independence, there were significant demographic shifts, with informal settlements often established in waterways and flood-prone areas due to rapid rural-urban migration. More recently, climate change and expanding urban areas have intensified flood risks.^[16]

Causes of floods in Ghana.

Over the years, Ghana has experienced floods across different regions notably caused by several factors such as:

• Continuous heavy downpours

Ghana’s major rainy season from April to mid-June can bring intense downpours that overwhelm inadequate or poorly maintained drainage systems, especially in expanding urban areas like Accra and Kumasi.^[17] Improved stormwater infrastructure, regular desilting of gutters, and broader climate resilience measures are needed to mitigate flood impacts.^[18]

• Corruption

Corruption in various facets of governance has significantly hindered Ghana’s ability to address flooding.^[19] Allegations of misappropriated public funds towards sanitation projects and the issuance of unauthorised building permits weaken essential infrastructure upgrades such as drainage projects and allow development in flood-prone areas. A prominent example is the 2023 resignation of Cecilia Dapaah, then Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, following revelations that large sums of cash were stored at her residence.^[20][21]Although investigations into the source of the funds are ongoing, the scandal has raised public concerns about the misuse of government resources intended for essential services, including those aimed at flood mitigation.^[22] Such controversies undermine confidence in public institutions, hinder effective policy implementation, and heighten the vulnerability of communities facing increasing flood risks.^[23]

• Poor Urban Planning

Rapid urban expansion in Ghana, particularly in cities like Accra and Kumasi, has often proceeded without comprehensive planning or strict adherence to zoning regulations.^[24] This has led to the construction of roads, homes, and commercial structures in areas with inadequate drainage systems or naturally flood-prone terrain.^[25] In many urban neighbourhoods, storm drains were either never constructed or have not been expanded to accommodate growing populations, resulting in frequent overflows during heavy rainfall. Moreover, unregulated housing developments reduce open green spaces that could otherwise absorb excess water, increasing the volume of runoff.^[26] The failure to integrate urban planning with climate-positive strategies increases flood risk and places additional strain on already overburdened infrastructure.^[27]

• Choked gutters

Poor waste management and inadequate maintenance of drainage systems have led to gutters becoming clogged with debris, plastic waste, and silt.^[28] In urban centres like Accra, many drainage channels overflow during heavy rains, because accumulated, refuse obstructs the free flow of water.^[29] This problem is compounded by rapid population growth and limited capacity for solid waste disposal, resulting in more rubbish entering stormwater systems.^[30] When gutters are choked, even moderate rainfall can cause localised flooding that damages property and disrupts transportation.^[31][32] Addressing this issue requires regular desilting, public education on responsible waste disposal, and stricter enforcement of sanitation bylaws.

• Improper settlements

Rapid urbanisation and limited affordable housing options in Ghana have led to the emergence of informal or unauthorised settlements in low‑lying, flood-prone areas.^[33] In cities like Accra, neighbourhoods commonly known as “Sodom and Gomorrah” have been built alongside the Odaw River, where the lack of proper drainage, waste management, and regulated construction significantly increases flood risks.^[34] Many of these informal settlements do not adhere to zoning regulations or building codes, resulting in structures that block natural waterways and increased runoff during heavy rainfall. Consequently, residents face recurrent flooding, property damage, and health hazards, prompting calls for more stringent enforcement of urban development policies and the provision of safer, regulated housing.

• Low-lying and flat lands

Certain regions of Ghana, particularly along the coast and in the southern plains, are characterised by low-lying, flat topography.^[35] Areas such as Accra sit near sea level, causing rainwater and coastal tides to accumulate more readily during heavy downpours or storm surges.^[36] Without sufficient natural or artificial drainage, water can linger for prolonged periods, leading to recurrent floods that disrupt transportation, damage infrastructure, and threaten agriculture.^[37] This topographical challenge often intensifies when combined with urban development on reclaimed lands or in areas that were historically wetlands, undermining the need for flood-resilient land-use policies and infrastructure planning.

• Rare cases of dam spillage
  For instance, on June 3rd, 2015, Accra, heavy rainfall in Ghana's capital led to flooding.^[38] The main contributing factors were choked gutters that blocked drainage systems and improper settlements.^[39] Over 200 people lost their lives due to a petrol station explosion during the flood.^[40][41] In 2021, heavy rainfall caused floods in the Kumasi Metropolis, resulting in the loss of lives 4 people and displacement of 200 others. This flood was caused by heavy rainfall.^[41] In the Volta Region and the Eastern Region of Ghana, severe floods occurred after the Akosombo Dam was spilled, displacing 26,000 people from their homes in 2023.

Reports from the BBC attributed the flood to heavy rainfall which caused the Volta River Authority to spill the dam. Below is a list of floods.

• 2023 Akosombo dam spillage flood
• 2022 Accra floods
• 2020 African Sahel floods
• 2016 Accra floods
• 2009 West Africa floods
• 2023 Accra circle floods
• 2010 Agona Swedru floods^[42]
• 2011 Atiwa floods^[43]

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