Back In The Water
I was in Sunyani when the videos began to appear. As I scrolled through social media, I watched familiar scenes unfold in Accra. Roads had disappeared beneath floodwaters. Vehicles were stranded. Homes and businesses were submerged. Commuters were left helpless as the city ground to a halt. Although I was hundreds of kilometres away, the images felt painfully close because they brought back memories I have never forgotten.
On June 3, 2015, I was at Circle when Ghana experienced one of the darkest days in its history. I witnessed firsthand the devastating combination of floods and the fire that followed at the GOIL filling station near the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange. It is an experience that has stayed with me ever since. More than 150 people lost their lives that day, and countless others were left with physical and emotional scars that remain to this day.
Watching Monday’s floods from Sunyani, I could not help but ask myself a painful question: after everything we witnessed in 2015, how are we still here? What has become an almost annual occurrence has once again exposed Accra’s vulnerability to flooding, disrupting transportation, halting economic activity, destroying property, and placing lives at risk.
Yet the greatest tragedy is not that the rains came, but that their consequences were so predictable.
For many Ghanaians, the scenes were painfully familiar. Communities such as Kaneshie, Odawna, Adabraka, Circle, together with the Kasoa–Mallam corridor and other low-lying areas have repeatedly experienced flooding during the rainy season. Drainage systems overflowed, roads became impassable, and businesses and homes were once again left counting their losses.
However, Monday’s rainfall was far more severe and widespread than what residents have come to expect. Flooding extended beyond the usual hotspots, bringing major roads to a standstill and disrupting movement across large parts of the city. The morning rush hour was particularly chaotic, with motorists stranded for hours and traffic congestion spreading well beyond the known flood-prone areas.
Only a week earlier, Cape Coast experienced one of the worst floods in its recent history.
Torrential rains claimed lives, displaced thousands of residents, destroyed homes, submerged parts of the city, including sections of the University of Cape Coast, and disrupted businesses and public services. The disaster renewed calls for improved drainage systems, stricter enforcement of planning regulations, and long-term investment in urban resilience.
For years, Ghana has followed the same pattern. Heavy rains arrive, communities flood, lives and property are lost, emergency responses are launched, and promises are made. Then, as the floodwaters disappear, so does the urgency to address the underlying causes. The cycle repeats itself with the next rainy season.
Natural disasters cannot always be prevented. However, when the same disaster occurs repeatedly in the same places, it raises serious questions about planning, governance, and accountability. Leadership is not only about responding after tragedy strikes. It is also about anticipating risks, enforcing regulations, investing in resilient infrastructure, and protecting citizens from dangers that are both known and preventable.
As I watched the videos from Sunyani, I realised that what saddened me most was not simply the flooding itself. It was the feeling that, eleven years after June 3, we are still confronting many of the same challenges. The names of the communities may change.
The videos may be clearer. The conversations may trend online for a few days. But the underlying problems remain remarkably familiar. My thoughts are with every family that has lost a loved one, every trader whose livelihood has been affected, every homeowner beginning the difficult task of rebuilding, and every resident whose daily life has been disrupted.
No Ghanaian should have to wonder whether the next heavy rainfall will once again turn into a national tragedy.
May those who have suffered loss find comfort, those rebuilding receive the support they need, and may this latest disaster finally strengthen our collective resolve to pursue the lasting solutions Ghana has needed for far too long.