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Rising incidence of urban floods: understanding the causes for flood risk reduction in Kumasi, Ghana

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Urban areas in Ghana have experienced worsening floods in terms of scale and number of affected people. In many instances, attribution has been made to one dominant factor as the cause of the rising flood incidence. The nature of the problem however suggests a complex interplay of factors at work but which have received limited research attention. Drawing on climatic data, household and key informant interviews, as well as direct observations, the paper examined the factors that underlie the rising incidence of floods in Kumasi. From the lens of urban political ecology, findings from the study suggest that multiplicity of factors rooted in weak institutional and legal frameworks underlie the worsening flood situation in the city. Key among these are rapid and unplanned urban growth, poor waste management culture and institutional ineptitude. Effective land-use planning and control through smart growth policies, alongside efficient waste management culture, are critical in stemming the problems of floods but the effectiveness of these measures depend on adequate resourcing of the relevant institutions and enforcement of land use regulations.

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Acknowledgements

I am particularly grateful to Professor Dr. Dr. Daniel Bour, Department of Geography and Rural Development, KNUST, Dr. Edward Mathew Osei Jnr. and Beatrice Acheampong from Department of Geomatic Engineering, KNUST for their support in improving the quality of the paper. I also acknowledge the support and valuable information received from the officials of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Town & Country Planning Department, Department of Parks & Gardens and many other institutions. I am greatly indebted to the editor and anonymous reviewers for their useful comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this manuscript. I am equally grateful to my research team and all the interviewees for participating in this research.

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    Kabila Abass

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To gain entry into the communities the research team paid courtesy calls on Chiefs and elders of each research community to inform them of our mission and to seek their permission. Informed written and verbal consents were obtained from all research participants. Participants were requested to sign or thumbprint a written informed consent form. Oral consent was sought from those who felt uncomfortable with either the thumb printing or signing. Participants were assured of strict confidentiality and anonymity of the responses they provided.

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Abass, K. Rising incidence of urban floods: understanding the causes for flood risk reduction in Kumasi, Ghana. GeoJournal 87, 1367–1384 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-020-10319-9

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