Indigenous Knowledge Practices and Community Adaptation to Coastal Flooding in Ada East District of Ghana

Abstract

The role of indigenous knowledge in flood risk reduction and management has not received the attention it deserves in Ghana as little is known about how coastal communities use indigenous knowledge to deal with coastal flooding. The study sought to find out how indigenous knowledge is used as an adaptation response to coastal flooding in Totope, a coastal community in Ada East District of Ghana, which is affected by coastal flooding. A total of fifty-three (53) household heads and seven (7) key informants were purposively selected for questionnaire administration and focus group discussions. The study revealed that storm surges was the cause of coastal flooding in the study community. The study found that the people of Totope have rich indigenous knowledge which they use to deal with the coastal flooding. The people used sandbags to serve as barriers preventing flood water from getting into their compounds and rooms; they raised the foundations of their buildings; they reinforced their windows using trampoline to prevent floodwaters from entering their rooms; they created platforms in their rooms on which they pack their valuables when floodwaters breach the barriers created; they created pathways for floodwater to pass; and varied their livelihoods and the crops they produce as a response to flooding. The study further revealed that there was an increase in the intensity of storm surges in recent times in the community. The study concluded that a lasting solution to the coastal flooding menace in the community was the construction of a sea defense systems.