With the rains already here, concerns are mounting over the potential exacerbation of flooding in some parts of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has sounded an alarm, attributing the looming threat to the unchecked construction on waterways, which poses a significant challenge in effectively managing the perennial flooding.

Tragically, the Ashanti Region witnessed the loss of over ten lives in flood-related incidents during 2023, leaving many livelihoods devastated and communities struggling to recover from the aftermath.

Despite efforts such as prior desilting of drainages and other mitigation measures, the impact of the rains appears to have intensified compared to previous years.

Adding to the apprehension, the Ghana Meteorological Agency has predicted heavy rains for this year, heightening concerns about potential flooding risks.

Expressing grave concerns, the Ashanti Regional NADMO Coordinator, Frank Duodu, underscored the urgent need for proactive measures to avert a potential crisis, emphasising the imperative of halting construction activities on waterways and wetlands to mitigate the situation effectively.

“The past four years we’ve witnessed areas that used not to flood, now flooding heavily with less rains. There are a lot of encroachments within our system. In a spate of a year, the massive development and encroachment on buffer zones and wetlands are alarming."

"We don’t have any major withholding area for water in Kumasi now, because about 75 of such lands are gone. This is certainly not right and may cost us heavily.”