Floods hit parts of Accra

06/04/08

Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru
Severe floods hit parts of Accra following a downpour at the weekend, destroying property and rendering dozens of people homeless at areas such as North Kaneshie and the Odawna Shopping Mall.
The rain water overflowed the choked drains at North Kaneshie onto the Nii Darku Street and entered adjoining houses, destroying property worth millions of cedis in the process. But no lives were lost.
The floods occurred barely a week after the forecast by the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA) of heavy rains in the southern parts of the country, including Accra, between now and August this year.
Some residents of North Kaneshie told the Daily Graphic that the main drain in the area could not contain the run off, mainly as a result of the presence of refuse, forcing the water into their homes and destroying the walls of some buildings. They blamed the V-shaped drain and a container along the drain as the remote causes of the flooding.
Some said they had to climb walls and buildings or run to nearby houses when the water reached window level.
“I was in the room with my family about 4:30 p.m. All of a sudden we heard an explosion and when we looked out it was the wall of our house which had collapsed. And within 15 to 20 seconds the house was flooded,” one of the victims, Mr Bala Saad, a public officer, told the Daily Graphic.
“We were confused as to where to go because the nearby houses had all been flooded. So we had to seek refuge in a nearby house which had less flood water,” he added.
Mr Saad’s personal belongings, including television sets, sound systems, computers, furniture, clothes and vital documents were all destroyed.
“The situation was devastating but I thank God that no life was lost,” Mr Saad, who was only in a vest, since all his clothes were wet, said.
One of the victims, Madam Anasthasia Asante, a trader, and her next-door neighbour, Mr Timothy Kazussah, an immigration officer, were holding shovels and other implements to clear the debris left behind by the flood and drying their items when this reporter visited the area yesterday.
“I have not eaten since morning. I started clearing the debris and drying my clothes since 5.00 a.m. Look at me, a woman, holding a shovel. I feel so sad about the situation,” Madam Asante lamented.
Mr Kazussah blamed the situation on the poor drainage system in the area and the fact that some residents dumped refuse into the drains.
“We had to block the main gate to the house to prevent the water from the street from entering the house. My friend, it was not easy,” the weary Mr Kazussah said.
Another victim, Mr Alex Adu Yirenkyi, a worker with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), whose personal effects were virtually destroyed, described the situation as “terrible” and said “all my property is at the mercy of the weather”.
He was, however, glad that the two dogs in the house escaped the flooding through their own initiative. One of them sought refuge on the dining table, while the other climbed the flower pot.
The last time the area was hit by a similar flood was in 1998 when two people lost their lives.
At the Odawna Shopping Mall, water from the nearby drain forced its way into the market and flooded some sheds, destroying some wares in the process.
The traders had to pack their wares and flee the market to save their lives.
Water-logged areas, including Weija and Oblogo, were the first to be hit by floods in Accra last Monday.
A visit by the Daily Graphic to those areas last Friday revealed that water had collected in some of the homes and rooms. Some of them had already packed their property on tables.
The residents said they could not move away from their areas, since they did not have alternative accommodation anywhere.
“I have stayed here for the past nine years but the flood started becoming serious last year. We just cannot do anything about it. We stay in it till it subsides,” Mr Maklin Kofi, a resident of Weija who had folded his trousers before he could enter his partially flooded room, said.
He said his room got flooded following Monday’s heavy downpour but the water had not subsided, since the area was water-logged.
Madam Mary Azaglo, who lived virtually in water at Oblogo, said she did not have any option and that she was used to the perennial hustle of getting her home flooded.