Flooding in communities downstream of the Weija Dam following recent spillage is not a natural disaster but a consequence of long-standing planning failures and enforcement lapses, a former planning official has said.
Mohammed Alhassan Damba, a former president of the Ghana Institute of Planners, described the situation as “unfortunate” but largely predictable, arguing that it reflects systemic negligence rather than an unforeseen emergency.
“This is not a disaster,” he said in an interview on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (29 May). “Disasters are unpredictable, but in this case, we know that heavy rainfall leads to spillage and flooding. What we are seeing is almost like a well-architectured mass suicide mission.”
Several communities, including Tetegu and parts of the Weija enclave, have experienced flooding after Ghana Water Limited opened spill gates to release excess water and protect the dam’s structural integrity.
Alhassan said both residents and local authorities share responsibility, noting that development in waterways continues despite clear risks.
“It is not the case that people do not know they are building on waterways, and it is also not the case that authorities are unaware,” he said, pointing to failures in enforcement at the municipal level.
He rejected suggestions that Accra’s rapid urbanisation is to blame, insisting that Ghana has long-established planning frameworks that are simply not being implemented.
“Planning has been done, and done well,” he said. “The problem is implementation — the inability or unwillingness of local authorities to enforce development controls.”
Alhassan cited decades of planning documentation, including metropolitan development strategies dating back to the 1990s, arguing that institutional knowledge exists but is routinely ignored.
He added that enforcement becomes politically sensitive only after illegal developments have been allowed to expand.
“When structures are stopped at foundation level, it is administrative. It becomes political only when you allow widespread development to occur,” he said.
The planner also highlighted broader structural pressures, noting that about 20 percent of Ghana’s population is concentrated within a small portion of land in the Greater Accra area, intensifying demand for space.
However, he stressed that this should not excuse regulatory failures.
“Urbanisation is a global phenomenon with opportunities,” he said. “The issue is who is managing it.”
He called for stronger enforcement at the local government level and better spatial distribution of development to ease pressure on Accra.
“Let us deal with the root of the issue,” he said. “If enforcement is done properly, people will not build in these places.”
Authorities have urged residents in flood-prone areas to relocate as spillage continues amid forecasts of further rainfall.
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