How everyday indiscipline, not just poor governance, is fuelling disease, flooding and civic decay

Walk through many African cities after a heavy rain and you do not need environmental impact reports to diagnose the crisis. The evidence lies underfoot.

1. Blocked gutters.
2. Plastic-lined side roads.
3. Overflowing bins beside pavements.
4. Parks dotted with sachet wrappers.
5. Market areas ankle-deep in refuse.
6. Fish markets surrounded by stagnant water.
7. Meat stalls adjacent to open drains.

The filth is not hidden. It is normalised.

After every rainfall, the ritual repeats itself. Flooded streets. Choked drains. Mosquitoes breeding in stagnant water. Market traders lifting goods onto wooden pallets to escape rising water. Children wading barefoot through contaminated puddles. And then the chorus begins:

1. Government has failed.
2. Authorities are incompetent.
3. Municipal services are useless.

But before we complete the familiar blame cycle, we must pause and ask the question that stings:

What is wrong with us?

1. Who threw the plastic into the gutter?
2. Who dropped the sachet beside the pavement?
3. Who dumped refuse at the edge of the market at night?
4. Who discarded fish waste directly into open drains?

Plastic does not walk itself into waterways. Filth does not assemble itself in parks. Drainage channels do not block themselves out of boredom. We put it there.

The Visible Decay We Pretend Not to See

Take a walk through many open markets across the continent. Vibrant commerce thrives. Tomatoes are piled high. Fresh fish glisten in the morning light. Meat is displayed proudly. But look down.

1. Pools of stagnant water.
2. Discarded plastic packaging.
3. Organic waste rotting in corners.
4. Flies circling relentlessly.

We buy food from these spaces. We eat from these spaces. We then wonder why gastrointestinal diseases remain persistent.

1. Cholera outbreaks.
2. Typhoid cases.
3. Malaria from mosquito breeding grounds.
4. Skin infections among children who play near drains.

The link between sanitation and disease is not theoretical. The World Health Organisation has repeatedly documented how poor waste management contributes to diarrhoeal diseases, vector-borne illnesses, and public health crises. Yet our streets remain lined with plastic.

What is wrong with us?

NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom):

“The broom does not dirty the house.”

Reflection:
Infrastructure may be weak, but behaviour determines outcome. Systems struggle when citizens undermine them daily.

POVERTY IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR FILTH

There is a dangerous narrative we whisper quietly: we are poor, therefore, disorder is understandable. But poverty does not produce plastic on pavements. Indiscipline does.

There are low-income districts in Vietnam where community sanitation committees ensure weekly clean-ups. In Indonesia, waste pickers have been organised into structured recycling networks. Rwanda’s monthly community service day is compulsory, not ceremonial. Singapore was once plagued by sanitation challenges. Through relentless enforcement and civic reconditioning, it transformed its urban culture.

Cleanliness is not a luxury good. It is a cultural decision.

NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom):

“Cleanliness is not wealth. It is discipline.”

Interpretation:
Environmental responsibility is not correlated with income. It is correlated with mindset.

The Disease We Manufacture

The consequences of our neglect are not cosmetic. They are biological.

1. Blocked drains create stagnant water. Stagnant water breeds mosquitoes. Mosquitoes spread malaria and dengue.
2. Rotting waste in markets attracts rodents and flies. Flies carry pathogens. Pathogens infect food. Hospitals fill.
3. Open dumping near waterways contaminates drinking sources. Children fall sick. Clinics overflow.
4. And yet we speak of disease as if it descends mysteriously.

We are engineering our own public health burden.

NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom):

“The man who poisons his well should not blame thirst.”

Reflection:
When our own behaviour contaminates our environment, the resulting suffering cannot be entirely blamed on leadership.

EUROPE, AMERICA, ASIA ARE NOT STANDING STILL

Across Europe, single-use plastic restrictions are expanding. Recycling systems are continuously upgraded. Public disapproval of littering is immediate and visible.

Japan’s waste separation culture is meticulous. Germany’s recycling rates exceed many global averages. South Korea’s pay-as-you-throw policy incentivises reduced waste.

In the United States, while challenges persist, environmental enforcement and civic activism continue to evolve. China has tightened domestic environmental standards. India has imposed bans on certain plastic products. Are these regions perfect? No. But they are not paralysed by blame.

Africa often debates. Observes. Waits.

Why do we wait?

NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom):

“The student who copies homework late never leads the class.”

Reflection:
Reactive imitation ensures permanent dependence. Leadership requires initiative.

GOVERNMENT VERSUS CITIZENS IS A FALSE ARGUMENT

Environmental degradation is not solely a failure of state institutions. It is a partnership of neglect.

1. Governments must enforce regulations.
2. Municipalities must collect waste consistently.
3. Manufacturers must reduce harmful packaging.

But citizens must stop treating public space as if it belongs to no one.

1. Side roads are ours.
2. Pavements are ours.
3. Parks are ours.
4. Markets are ours.

When we dump waste in shared spaces, we are polluting our own living room.

NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom):

“When everything belongs to everyone, responsibility belongs to no one.”

Reflection:
Shared ownership without personal accountability guarantees decay.

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF NORMALISED DISORDER

Perhaps the deeper crisis is psychological. We tolerate filth because we expect filth. We step over refuse because we believe “this is how it is.” In many European cities, littering triggers social correction. In many African communities, it triggers indifference. Behaviour is shaped by what society refuses to tolerate.

NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom):

“Habits build nations long before laws do.”

Reflection:
Sustainable reform begins with everyday behaviour, not policy declarations.

PATRIOTISM WITHOUT CLEANLINESS

We celebrate independence. We speak passionately about sovereignty. We wave flags proudly. Yet our markets are littered. Our pavements are cluttered. Our parks are strewn with plastic.

Is patriotism merely ceremonial?

NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom):

“Patriotism is not a song. It is how you treat the street outside your gate.”

Reflection:
National pride without civic responsibility is performance, not commitment.

WHAT MUST CHANGE

1. Strict enforcement of anti-littering laws without selective application.
2. Extended producer responsibility across African markets.
3. Structured sanitation management in food, meat, and fish markets.
4. Public health education linking filth directly to disease.
5. Youth-driven recycling innovation supported at scale.
6. Regional environmental standards embedded in trade frameworks.

Africa has demonstrated innovation in mobile money. We have shown that we can leapfrog outdated systems.

Why not lead in environmental discipline?

What is wrong with us?

CONCLUSION: THE MIRROR WE AVOID

The filth on our roadsides is not merely aesthetic failure. It is civic failure.

The clogged gutter is not just a drainage issue. It is behavioural evidence.

What is wrong with us is not ignorance. We understand sanitation. We understand disease transmission. We understand climate vulnerability.

What is wrong with us is the gap between complaint and conduct.

Rain does not manufacture plastic. We do.

NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom):

“The rain may be heavy, but the blockage is ours.”

Reflection:
External challenges expose internal weaknesses. Nature is not our enemy. Indiscipline is.

If we continue to behave as passive observers of our own environmental decay, the consequences will intensify.

More floods.
More disease.
More healthcare strain.
More economic loss.

And still we will point upward.

The world is moving toward sustainability, circular economies, and environmental accountability. Africa must stop watching. The next time rain falls and gutters overflow, let us not ask only what the government failed to do.

Let us ask what we threw away.

Because history will not remember our speeches about climate justice if our pavements remain choked with plastic and our markets reek of neglect. And perhaps the most piercing question of all: Did we inherit this filth, or did we create it?

Until we answer honestly, the gutters, pavements, parks, and markets will continue to speak.

And what they say will not be flattering.

By Ing. Prof. Douglas Boateng
Chartered Director IoD UK | Chartered Engineer UK
Fellow Institute of Directors UK | Fellow Ghana Institution of Engineering
Governance, industrialisation, and supply chain strategist