Ashaiman Flooding: A Year After
Posted on May 28, 2011

BY Jamila Akweley Okertchiri

Almost a year ago on June 20, 2010, a heavy downpour lasting over 12 hours caused severe flooding in the Ashaiman municipality and its surrounding areas resulting in over 17 deaths and the displacement of over 9,000 people.

Amid concerns that a similar incident may re-occur, stakeholders and members of the Ashaiman community, a suburb of Tema are taking preventive measures to stop flooding and ensure minimal damage and injuries during this year’s rainy season.

Last year’s heavy downpour caused the overflow of the Gbemi and Amatsuru streams, which meet at a confluence and flow through the Ashaiman township. The water engulfed the surrounding communities and destroyed people’s property and other possessions.

The deceased ranging between the ages of three and 65 were both men and women. A total of 547 people were injured, while 9,314 people belonging to 1,318 families were displaced.

Some of the victims drowned as a result of rising waters in their homes, while others died trying to swim across the stream to safety or to save relatives.

Motorists and commuters were not left out as some were washed away in the torrential rain.

Some homes along the stream’s banks and waterways were almost completely submerged with waters rising as high as the roof. The displaced sought temporary shelter in schools, mosques and with relatives in the municipality. Others left the area to start their lives over elsewhere.

The communities most affected by the flood disaster were Jericho, Roman Down, Market Square, Valco Flat, Asensu, Community 22, New Town, the community along the motorway, the Ashaiman Dam Site and Mamomo. The incident has left an indelible print in the minds of everyone in the community, and has raised serious concerns about flood and disaster preparations.

Relief Items

Following the floods, the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly compensated the families of the deceased with GH¢500 each to cover funeral and burial rites expenses. With the support of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), the Assembly also provided various relief items such as food, clothing, drinking water, blankets and mosquito nets.

Compassionate individuals with giving hearts would not be left out and offered their support as well. Such people included the Assin North MP and humanitarian par excellence, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong and former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings as well as the Catholic Church and other organizations.

The Ministry of Health visited the community and organized a programme about post-disaster health risks. According to the Assembly, although there were concerns about an outbreak of cholera and other diseases, the intervention of the health directorate relieved any serious widespread dangers.

In the following months, a Municipal Flood Committee was set up to coordinate the relief effort, and a GH¢40,000 Fund was put together to procure more relief items for victims. The estimated costs of extracting the flood waters amounted to approximately GH¢260,000.

Almost a year later, families continue to struggle to rebuild their lives. Businesses and livelihoods were either seriously disrupted or permanently destroyed.

What Caused The Flood?

There are different reports as to what exactly caused the flooding. The official reaction and community reaction do not provide the same account about what caused the Gbemi and Amatsuru streams to overflow.

The Assembly states that the 12-hour rainfall on June 20, 2010 accumulated and flooded the area. Kwasi Adu Gyamfi, Public Relations Officer of the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly, states that the Assembly took preventive measures to tear down illegal homes along the banks of the Gbemi and Amatsuru to minimize deaths in case of a flood.

“We undertook a demolition exercise along the Gbemi and Amatsuru steams which meet at a confluence at Jeri fish pond where they form a bigger stream and then move into the houses when they overflow,” he said.

The Assembly maintained that the illegal homes increased the chance of floods and would have led to many more causalities had they been allowed to remain along the bank. “If the Assembly had not demolished those structures, the disaster would have been worse. The death tolls would have been in the hundreds,” said Gyamfi.

The evicted residents were not compensated for their structures because according to the Assembly, they were illegal to begin with. “I know that the people will say the assembly demolished their buildings without any compensation,” Gyamfi stated “Then tell them that if they have genuine permits, they should come to the assembly for compensation.”

The effort was part of a move to standardize property construction in the area. All structures without permits were demolished, although as Gyamfi readily admits, very few homes in the municipality have ever been issued with permits. “I can tell you that about 70 to 80 percent of the buildings in this municipality do not have building permits,” he said.

“The assembly is now trying to regularize its operations by giving out building permits.”

Victims’ Testimonies

The community’s account of the incident is a different story. Residents state that the building materials that fell into the streams after the destruction of homes along the banks choked the waterways and caused the floods.

Awal Osman, a butcher and resident of “Roman down”, who has lived along the streams since 1994 said the area had never experienced flooding until the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly undertook the demolition exercise which affected his home. Osman’s statement was corroborated by numerous residents of Ashaiman who spoke to DAILY GUIDE and collectively insisted that they had never experienced flooding close to that magnitude until the Assembly had undertaken the demolition exercise.

“The reasons why we were affected by last year’s floods is because they came and demolished our houses and the debris all fell and filled the gutter,” Osman said.

He elaborated, “The blocks they broke all went into the gutter so there is no way for the rain water to flow. So it came into the rest of the houses.”

He said that his home was demolished without any prior notice: “All we saw was ‘IN DANGER’ written on our houses then they broke down our homes. The water also took all our belongings away.”

Osman confirmed the Assembly’s assertion that very few home owners in Ashaiman possess permits. He did not understand why the houses along the banks were targeted, especially since the debris from the destruction caused the flooding.

Although the Assembly promised to build a functioning drainage along the bank, the community has not seen any work done to prevent further flooding. The Assembly is instead constructing two bridges across the streams, and is planning to build a third, he lamented.

Osman does not understand why they are not digging the gutters which are urgently needed with the rainy season underway. “They brought in heaps of sand in place of the buildings they destroyed and said they were going to build the gutter but we have not seen any work being done here.”

Isaac Quanpah, another Ashaiman resident who has lived in the area since 1992 offered his perspective. “It is the demolition of the buildings that caused the flooding. When they did the demolition they did not take care of the wreckage,” said Quanpah.

Quanpah continued, “The gutter is being chocked with mud so they have to desilt it. That wasn’t done so any rain and the gutter overflows.”

Another resident and shepherd, Alhaji Ibrahim Issah, lost three of his four children to the flood. Fifty seven of his sheep also perished. Issah recounted the details of that fateful day to DAILY GUIDE saying “my family was in the room when it was submerged in water.

We were all struggling to come out. Three of our four children had drowned in the room.

Those of us that survived had to stay on the roof for the water to subside.”

Issah was reluctant to state that the destruction of homes along the bank caused the flood.

Instead he accepted the loss of his children by saying “For us we were here when the floods came so whatever God wishes he does it. So we can’t say whether it was the demolition that caused the flooding or not.” Issah hopes the gutter will be reconstructed so that last year’s tragic event will not repeat itself.

Preventing Future Disasters

There has been no concerted effort on the part of the community to officially inquire about the actions of the Municipal Assembly. There is no clear leader and residents are confused about who to hold accountable and how. “We did not take any action against them because our local leaders did not tell us anything. We even went on demonstration about three to four months ago because of the demolition of the houses but we did not see any results,” said Awal Osman.

Quanpah questioned the priorities of the Assembly. “What I want the assembly to do is to drain the gutter so that when it rains, the water can flow and not enter our homes,” he said. “What they have been able to do is to extend the bridge. We are hearing that they will build the gutter but we have not seen anything.”

He demanded immediate action from the MCE. “What we want the government to do is to come and make the gutter fine for us and grow green grass around it so that it will prevent erosion,” said Quanpah.

Ashaiman Municipal PRO, Kwasi Adu Gyamfi said the Municipal Assembly is taking measures to prevent a recurrence of last year’s disaster. He stated that the assembly was in the process of rebuilding the bridges that were demolished by the flood. “We have been able to finish one out of the three bridges which is the Valco Flat, the Ashaiman Lebanon is under construction as well as the Roman down bridge,” he said.

Mr. Gyamfi however noted that the construction of the drain through which the stream flows was a capital intensive venture. He said because of this, advancement of the project has been slow even though government and donors like the World Bank have promised the start of the project in June 2011.

“The cost of constructing the drains from community 22 to Jericho has not been estimated yet but it will run into hundreds of Ghana Cedis,” he says.

In spite of the delay, Gyamfi stated the Municipal Assembly is putting measures in place to avoid a situation like last year’s.

“Yes we have been taking a lot of measures, one is educating the people to stop throwing rubbish in the stream which ends up choking it; we also do community interface and sensitization programs,” he said.

He continued: “we are also opening up the gutters with the help of government because we do not want a situation where what happened last year will reoccur.”

On behalf of the community Gyamfi called on government, humanitarian organizations and micro finance lending agencies to assist the victims with small credit loans to rebuild their lost businesses.

“They need help so that they can expand their businesses, cater for their children and develop sustainable livelihoods,” said Gyamfi.

With the onset of the rainy season, frustrated residents in Ashaiman are anxiously waiting for the MCE and central government to act and act fast.