Accra’s flood challenge is no longer simply a problem of blocked drains or inadequate culverts. It is becoming a structural consequence of rapid urbanisation, population growth, uncontrolled land conversion, increasing solid waste generation, the gradual loss of the natural systems that historically protected the city from flooding.

The behaviour, discipline of citizens through responsible waste disposal, compliance with land-use regulations and maintenance of private drainage amongst others cannot be overlooked. Whilst not a prime contributor in isolation, such behaviours help keep drainage systems functional and reduce the pressures placed on urban flood management infrastructure.

By 2035, Greater Accra’s population is projected to rise from approximately 5.6 million today to about 6.5 million people; an increase of roughly 900,000 additional residents within a decade. This growth will place enormous pressure on land, housing, infrastructure, and waste management systems.

At the same time, daily solid waste generation could rise towards 4,000 tonnes per day, increasing the risks of drain obstruction, pollution of waterways, and reduced effectiveness of existing flood infrastructure.

Against this background, the current flood mitigation approach, including the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project and wetland demolition exercises, must be examined against the scale of the future challenge.

1. Demolition of structures on wetlands does not automatically restore flood protection
   It has been reported by the anti-flood task force that thousands of structures have been constructed on wetlands, waterways, and Ramsar-designated areas. One response has been the removal of buildings from these environmentally sensitive locations.
   However, demolition alone does not restore the original flood protection function of these ecosystems.
   In many cases, wetlands and waterways have already been altered before construction takes place. Land is filled, raised, compacted, and reclaimed before buildings are constructed. When structures are demolished, the following may remain:

• imported fill material;
• foundations and concrete slabs;
• altered soil profiles;
• blocked natural drainage pathways;
• reduced water storage capacity.

Therefore, demolition may remove the visible structure but not necessarily restore the land’s ability to absorb, retain, and slowly release stormwater.

A wetland that has been physically transformed into urban land cannot simply return to its original condition through demolition alone. Restoration requires engineering, ecological rehabilitation, removal of illegal fill material where feasible, reopening of drainage channels, and long-term protection.

2. The time gap between demolition and restoration creates a future vulnerability

Flood restoration projects are often slow because they require significant financial resources, technical studies, land management, and sustained political commitment.

This creates a major vulnerability.

If restoration takes several years while Accra’s population continues to grow by approximately 900,000 people over the next decade, pressure on available land will intensify. The same economic and housing pressures that encouraged development on wetlands in the first place will remain.

Without permanent protection mechanisms, reclaimed flood-prone land may again become attractive for settlement, commercial development, or political intervention.

3. Weak enforcement creates a risk of repeating the same cycle

Accra’s flooding problem has historically been worsened by inconsistent enforcement of planning regulations. A demolition programme may initially receive public support, but its long-term success depends on whether future administrations maintain the same commitment.

Political transitions create risks:

• enforcement priorities may change;
• illegal developments may gradually return;
• communities may wait for political conditions to change before reoccupying restricted areas.

This creates a cycle where enforcement becomes reactive rather than preventive: demolish after disasters occur, rebuild after attention fades, and repeat the process after the next flood.

A sustainable flood strategy must therefore move beyond periodic demolition and establish permanent systems of land protection, monitoring, and enforcement.

4. GARID addresses important problems but may not match the scale of Accra’s future growth

GARID is a necessary intervention because it improves drainage infrastructure, flood management capacity, solid waste management and resilience in vulnerable communities. However, the projected growth trajectory suggests that it cannot be viewed as a complete solution.

The challenge is that flood risk is increasing from several directions simultaneously:

• more people producing more waste;
• more impermeable surfaces from urban development;
• greater stormwater runoff;
• loss of wetlands and natural retention areas;
• increasing pressure on existing drainage systems.

A drainage improvement project can increase capacity, but it cannot fully compensate for the continued loss of natural flood buffers or unlimited urban expansion.

The city could therefore find itself in a situation where upgraded drainage infrastructure is repeatedly overwhelmed because the underlying causes of flooding continue expanding.

5. Accra needs a metropolitan-scale flood engineering strategy

The future protection of Accra requires moving from a project-based approach to a comprehensive metropolitan flood management system.

This should include:

• restoration and permanent protection of wetlands and waterways;
• aggressive waste reduction, recycling, and collection expansion;
• strict land-use controls;
• expanded stormwater infrastructure;
• flood forecasting and early warning systems;
• climate-resilient urban design.

However, given Accra’s level of urbanisation and limited remaining natural drainage capacity, conventional drainage improvements may not be sufficient on their own.

Large-scale engineering solutions should therefore be investigated, including underground stormwater conveyance systems, tunnels, retention infrastructure, and other forms of major flood-control engineering used in highly urbanised cities worldwide.

The principle is simple: as Accra becomes denser, it has less space to manage water naturally above ground. The city may increasingly require engineered systems capable of moving large volumes of stormwater rapidly away from vulnerable urban areas.

Conclusion

Accra’s flood problem cannot be solved through demolition alone, nor through drainage upgrades alone. By 2035, the City will be larger, denser, and generating significantly more waste than it does today.

A strategy based mainly on removing buildings after wetlands have already been reclaimed risks treating the symptoms rather than the causes. Likewise, drainage improvements without addressing urban growth, waste generation, and land-use failures will provide only temporary relief.

The future flood resilience of Accra requires an integrated approach: protecting the city’s remaining natural flood systems, restoring degraded wetlands where possible, permanently enforcing land-use regulations, expanding waste management capacity, and investing in major engineering solutions capable of managing the runoff generated by a metropolis of 6.5-million.

The central policy question is therefore not simply “How does Accra remove buildings from flood-prone areas?” but rather:

“How does Accra redesign itself to safely manage water in a rapidly growing megacity where natural flood protection is declining and urban pressures are increasing?”

The writer is an Operational Governance and Risk management Expert