Here Come The Rains: is Ablekuma North ready?

By Richard Agodzo

It has been four months since the last heavy rains in the capital city. Drains are filled with rubbish, gutters are choked and potholes have not being repaired. We are in the rainy season and Accra is yet to experience a heavy downpour.

Climate change may have caused some confusion in our rain patterns, but it’s common knowledge that the wet, rainy season follows the dry harmattan season. The land breeze experienced over the past fortnight is signaling that the rains are gradually approaching the capital city. The question to ask is: are we ready to receive this year’s rains?

The Obetsebi Lamptey interchange is still under construction. On October 2, 2021, Kaneshie market got flooded, causing heavy traffic congestion on all link roads. The entire First Light through the street in front of the Market, as well as the Takoradi/Cape Coast station to Mpamprom was submerged.

Last year, the Mallam-Kasoa highway experienced an overflow of drains due to heavy downpour; there’s always an unpleasant story to tell regarding the stretch between the old barrier and SCC junction. A major concern is the closure of a section of the road. As at now, there has not been an expansion of the drainage systems, neither have the local assembly removed structures in water ways.

Another area of concern is Mallam Market. Behind the market is an open drainage system which absorbs waters from Anya Sowutuom and Ablekuma North constituencies. There is usually an overflow and spillage after heavy downpours, flooding the open ranges around the interchange and causing devastation to property in the market.

A death trap for motorists on the Mallam-Kasoa highway is heavy rainwater that gushes down from Broadcasting Hill during heavy downpours. Due to illegal stone quarry activities, one side of the hill has lost its vegetation and thus provides the perfect opportunity for runoff of tons of rainwater that rushes down accompanied by boulders, mud and sand that cause road blockade and traffic congestion.

Although the drainage system along the highway has been de-silted, the water tunnel beneath the road is too narrow to contain the high volume and current of water gushing down the hill.

The Weija Dam spillage at Tetegu is another area of concern: on March 30, 2021 the management of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) informed the general public of a sudden rise of water from 46.2 feet to 48.1 feet within a period of 24- hours. It is known that the operating level of water is 47ft and anything above that demands a spillage.

The sudden rise of the dam is usually caused by rain water. Communities such as Tetugu, Oblogo, Pambros Salt, Lower McCarthy Hill, Lower Weija, Bojo Beach, and Ada Kopey are usually adversely affected by this spillage.

Do general public and institutions and organizations that have properties downstream in these areas know what precautionary measures to take prior to the coming of the rains?

The signs are as clear as day: when it pours down, there will be disaster. The capital city was once brought to its knees with the water and fire.

The rains are coming: what are local authorities doing for residents?