By Samuel OWUSU-ADUOMI
Accra, has become synonymous with perennial flooding during the rainy seasons. Every year, as the skies open up and the rains persist for days, the city grapples with flooded streets, submerged homes, disrupted livelihoods and, tragically, loss of lives.
The flooding incidents that have plagued Accra recently are not isolated occurrences but part of a recurring pattern that highlights the fragility of the city’s infrastructure and urban planning.
In the past week alone, relentless rainfall caused extensive flooding across several metropolitan areas, with low-lying neighbourhoods like Adentan and Teshie bearing the brunt.
The consequences have been devastating: road networks rendered impassable, businesses forced to close, schools shut down and families displaced. Reports confirm that at least three lives have been lost in recent floods, a stark reminder of the human cost of environmental mismanagement.
But flooding is not just a natural disaster; it is a symptom of deeper structural issues—unregulated urban expansion, poor waste management clogging drainage systems and encroachment on natural waterways.
Over the past decades, the expansion of settlements into wetlands and floodplains, often driven by inadequate land-use enforcement, has left Accra vulnerable to the whims of heavy rainfall and climate change.
Harnessing nature’s protective power
Restoring and enforcing riparian buffer zones along Accra’s waterways presents a compelling solution to mitigating flooding, often an overlooked issue in urban planning. Here’s a breakdown of why these buffer zones are crucial and their multifaceted benefits:
- Water absorption and runoff reduction: Riparian buffer zones act like natural sponges. The vegetation, including trees, shrubs and grasses, absorbs rainwater. This absorption slows down the runoff, which reduces the volume and velocity of water entering drainage systems during heavy rains. This mechanism helps prevent sudden and overwhelming flooding in urban areas.
- Erosion control: The roots of plants within buffer zones stabilise the soil along riverbanks. This stability is crucial as it prevents erosion and reduces the risk of riverbank collapse, which can further exacerbate flooding and sedimentation in water bodies and drainage channels.
- Water quality improvement: Buffers serve as a natural filter for pollutants and sediments carried by surface runoff. Before reaching rivers, streams or lakes, the vegetation captures and retains these contaminants, significantly improving the water quality downstream. This benefit is especially important for urban areas like Accra, where runoff often carries pollutants from streets, industrial areas and agricultural lands.
- Biodiversity and recreation: These zones provide essential green spaces within urban environments. They support a diverse range of plant and animal species, enhancing urban biodiversity. Moreover, these green areas offer residents recreational opportunities such as walking trails, birdwatching and simply enjoying nature, contributing to improved mental and physical well-being.
- Aesthetic benefits: Beyond their functional roles, riparian buffer zones enhance the visual appeal of urban landscapes. They soften the harsh urban environment with greenery and natural features, making cities more pleasant and attractive places to live.
In summary, investing in riparian buffer zones is not just about flood prevention but also about promoting sustainable urban development.
These zones integrate ecological principles into urban planning, offering a range of benefits that improve both the environment and quality of life for city residents.
This holistic approach to water management is increasingly recognised as essential in mitigating the impacts of urbanisation on natural ecosystems and human communities alike.
Despite recommendations for a minimum 300-metre buffer zone along all streams and water bodies, urban encroachment and illegal construction have drastically reduced these critical areas. The consequence has been increased surface runoff and flash floods during heavy rains.
Nurture Nature Foundation advocates for the strict enforcement of buffer zones to be reinstated and protected as part of urban planning laws.
Moreover, these buffer zones could be developed to incorporate eco-friendly water transport options during the rainy season, such as small ferries and boats, which would ease traffic congestion on flooded roads and provide alternative mobility solutions.
Restructuring urban transportation for resilience
Flooding exposes the weaknesses of Accra’s urban transportation system. Roads become waterlogged or impassable, public transport services are disrupted and emergency response times increase significantly. The economic toll of these disruptions is enormous, affecting businesses, trade and daily commutes.
To address this, Accra needs a strategic overhaul of its transport infrastructure, focusing on resilience and sustainability:
- Elevated and flood-resistant roads: Building elevated roadways in flood-prone areas will ensure uninterrupted movement even during heavy rains. This engineering approach has been successfully implemented in other flood-prone cities globally.
- Integrated drainage infrastructure: Roads should be designed with advanced drainage systems capable of rapidly channelling water away, reducing standing water and associated risks.
- Multi-modal transport networks: Encouraging diverse modes of transport, including pedestrian pathways, cycling lanes and, especially, water transport where feasible will diversify mobility options and reduce pressure on any single system.
- Smart traffic management: Using real-time data and traffic sensors to manage flow during floods can help reroute vehicles away from danger zones and optimise emergency responses.
- Public awareness and community involvement: Building resilience requires not only physical infrastructure but also informed citizens who understand flood risks and alternative transport options during emergencies.
Toward adaptive, climate-resilient cities
The flooding crises in Accra are emblematic of the broader climate change challenge facing urban centres worldwide. As rainfall patterns become more unpredictable and extreme, cities must evolve into adaptive, resilient ecosystems capable of withstanding and recovering from environmental shocks.
Accra’s pathway to resilience involves:
- Green infrastructure: Incorporating green roofs, rain gardens, permeable pavements and urban wetlands to enhance rainwater infiltration and reduce runoff.
- Strict land use enforcement: Preventing construction in floodplains and wetlands, protecting natural drainage routes.
- Community-based early warning systems: Empowering communities with real-time flood alerts to facilitate timely evacuations and preparations.
- Collaborative governance: Fostering partnerships between government agencies, civil society, private sector and international bodies to coordinate comprehensive flood management.
- Education and capacity building: Training urban planners, engineers and policy-makers on nature-based solutions and climate adaptation best practices.
Drawing inspiration from the “sponge city” concept which aims to maximise urban water retention and reuse, Accra can transform its urban landscape from one that suffers from water crises to one that thrives on water balance and harmony with nature.
Peter Asiedu, Executive Director of Nurture Nature Foundation, highlights the urgency and promise of this vision:
“Our flood challenges are not just problems to be solved but opportunities to rethink how we live, move and grow as a city. By integrating nature-based solutions like buffer zones and innovating our urban transport systems, we can build Accra into a resilient city that not only withstands floods but thrives because of its harmony with the environment. The future of our city depends on the choices we make today.”
Conclusion
Addressing Accra’s flooding crisis requires a holistic and inclusive approach. It demands the will of policy-makers to enforce environmental laws, the innovation of urban planners to rethink infrastructure, the engagement of communities to protect their environment and the support of all stakeholders to invest in resilient futures.
Nurture Nature Foundation calls on the government, private sector, NGOs and citizens to join hands in protecting and restoring buffer zones, restructuring urban transportation and committing to sustainable urban development.
Together, we can transform Accra’s flood vulnerability into a blueprint for adaptive resilience—making it a city that stands strong against climate change and secures a safe, prosperous future for generations to come.
