Rising incidence and risks of floods in urban Ghana: Is climate change to blame?

Abstract

The current policy and stakeholder debates suggest that climate change remains a risk factor for the rising urban floods situation in Ghana. However, there is a dearth of empirical works to explain the link between flood incidence and climatic-related factors. Using a long-term secondary climatic data, this paper analyses the extent to which climate change influences the incidence of floods in urban Ghana. In-depth qualitative analysis of the perspectives of households and key informants was carried out to complement the initial quantitative analysis in order to broaden the understanding of the risk factors of the worsening floods situation. The results have shown that the rising flood situation in Kumasi is largely independent of climate-induced increase in rainfall and current temperature patterns but strongly linked with anthropogenic factors, including unregulated urban expansion, inadequate drainage infrastructure, poor solid waste management practices, and weak institutional and regulatory regimes. Strengthening institutions, law enforcement and public education are important interventions to control the flood menace in Ghana.