Unregulated urban development is systematically erasing Accra’s natural flood defenses. Following a sobering national briefing from Jubilee House, the latest data reveals that vital waterways like the Kor-Jor stream have been choked by up to 96% over the last 24 years. Read how human encroachment is driving the city's flooding crisis and find out how the Sustainable Health and Education Initiative (SHEI) is stepping up through community outreach and advocacy to protect our environment and public health.
Every year, the rainy season brings a familiar and devastating cycle to Accra. Streets turn into rivers, homes are inundated, and communities are left to pick up the pieces. It is easy to blame the weather, but the hard truth is that our flooding crisis is largely man-made.
In a recent national broadcast titled “National Update on Recent Floods,” Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah of the Ghana Armed Forces delivered a stark briefing from Jubilee House. The data presented offers a sobering look at how rapid, unregulated urban development is systematically destroying the natural infrastructure meant to protect us.
At the Sustainable Health and Education Initiative (SHEI), we believe that environmental health is inextricably linked to community well-being. To build a safer, more sustainable future, we must look closely at the data and change how we treat our environment.
The Choking of the Kpeshie Lagoon
One of the most alarming revelations from the national update is the rapid disappearance of the Kor-Jor stream, a vital waterway that feeds into the Kpeshie Lagoon.
Using historical satellite tracking, the briefing mapped out the width of the stream over the last 24 years:
- 2002: The river channel measured a wide 261 meters.
- 2013: Unregulated construction narrowed it down to 211 meters.
- 2022: The stream was severely choked, shrinking to just 19 meters.
- 2026: Today, the waterway has been reduced to a mere 10.6 meters.
In less than a quarter of a century, human encroachment has eliminated roughly 96% of the river’s natural width. When heavy rains fall, the water has nowhere to go, forcing it into neighboring homes and streets.
Disappearing Catchment Areas: Tesa Dam and Sakumono Ramsar Site
The crisis isn’t isolated to a single lagoon. The update highlighted two other critical ecological zones under severe threat:
1. The Tesa Dam (East Legon Area)
Satellite mapping of the Tesa Dam area revealed that more than 50% of its natural water catchment area has been completely lost. Lands that once absorbed excess runoff have been paved over and built upon, turning a natural flood barrier into a high-risk zone.
2. The Sakumono Ramsar Site
Perhaps most devastating is the ongoing encroachment on the Sakumono Ramsar Basin—an internationally recognized, protected wetland intended to serve as a massive ecological sponge for the city. The data shows that more than half of this protected site has been reclaimed by developers, with illegal structures built right up to the edge where the basin meets the sea.
How This Happens: The Physics of Man-Made Floods
Nature designed wetlands, lagoons, and river basins to hold excess water during intense downpours. However, current building practices are actively overriding nature’s defense systems:
- Wetlands are being systematically filled with solid waste.
- The trash is then capped with laterite soil.
- Concrete structures are built directly on top of these reclaimed lands.
When we replace porous, water-absorbing wetlands with concrete and asphalt, we eliminate the ground’s capacity to hold water. The result is immediate, destructive surface runoff. As Brigadier General Okae-Yeboah summarized, this specific human behavior is the direct driver of the crisis we face today.
The Path Forward: SHEI’s Call to Action
The current state of our environment requires more than just post-flood cleanups. It demands a fundamental shift in how we manage our urban spaces, enforce zoning laws, and educate our communities.
At SHEI, we are committed to playing our part through targeted health and environmental advocacy:
- Community & School Outreach: Through our dedicated awareness campaigns, we are working with students and community groups to foster a culture of environmental stewardship.
- Advocating for Sustainable Policy: We support the efforts of enforcement agencies and task forces working to clear blocked drainage systems and halt illegal developments in protected ecological zones.
- Protecting Public Health: Flooding is not just a structural issue—it is a major health crisis that increases the risk of waterborne diseases and displaces vulnerable families.
The shrinking of the Kpeshie Lagoon and the destruction of the Sakumono Ramsar site are urgent warnings. We cannot out-build nature, but we can choose to build sustainably. Let us protect our waterways so they can protect us.
