GhIE Calls for Radical Shift in Ghana's Flood Management Strategy as Urban Flooding Worsens

General

1 June, 2026

The Ghana Institution of Engineering has called for an urgent overhaul of the country’s stormwater management policies, warning that existing drainage systems are no longer capable of addressing the realities of rapid urbanisation, climate variability, and increasing flood risks.

In a detailed policy brief, the Institution argued that Ghana’s cities can no longer rely on traditional, centralised, conveyance-based drainage systems. Rapid urban expansion, widespread paving of land surfaces, poor waste management practices, and increasing rainfall intensity have significantly exceeded the capacity of existing drainage networks, particularly in Accra and other rapidly expanding metropolitan areas.

“Flooding in Accra is no longer simply a seasonal occurrence. It is increasingly becoming a structural challenge driven by rapid urbanisation, loss of natural infiltration areas, and fragmented management systems,” the policy brief notes. The Institution observed that flooding incidents have become more frequent and severe over the past decade, occurring even during periods of relatively low rainfall, suggesting the problem extends beyond climate change and reflects deeper systemic weaknesses.

The Institution highlighted that many drains have effectively become conduits for solid waste, reducing hydraulic capacity and compromising their intended function. Hydraulic constraints within the Odaw-Korle drainage system continue to contribute to recurring flood events across parts of the capital, a problem that has plagued Accra for decades.

The policy brief also identifies institutional fragmentation as a major obstacle to effective flood management. Responsibilities are spread across multiple agencies, while administrative boundaries often do not align with natural drainage basins, making coordinated catchment-wide planning difficult. This fragmented governance structure has long been cited as a reason why flood management efforts in Ghana have failed to produce lasting results.

To address these challenges, GhIE is advocating a transition towards decentralised, nature-based stormwater management systems that mimic natural hydrological processes. Recommended interventions include permeable pavements, bioswales, rain gardens, green roofs, detention systems, infiltration facilities, riparian buffers, and rainwater harvesting.

The Institution is also calling for a National Post-Development Runoff Control Policy to ensure that new developments do not generate runoff volumes and peak flows beyond pre-development conditions. Additional recommendations include a National Rainwater Harvesting Policy, stronger enforcement of land-use regulations, catchment-based planning units, protection of waterway buffer zones, and greater private-sector participation in green infrastructure development.

According to GhIE, adopting these measures could significantly reduce flood frequency and severity, improve water quality, lower long-term infrastructure costs, create green jobs, and strengthen Ghana’s resilience to climate change. The recommendations align with best global practices in sustainable urban drainage and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG 11 on Sustainable Cities and Communities.

As previous analysis of Accra’s recurring flood disasters has shown, the consequences of inaction are devastating. The deadly flood of June 2015, which claimed lives at a petrol station near the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, remains a stark reminder of what happens when urban planning fails to keep pace with growth. “The evidence is clear,” the GhIE report concludes. “Ghana must shift from downstream, conveyance-based engineering to upstream, decentralised, nature-mimicking stormwater management. The time for policy reform is now.”