Segun Atanda/
Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama, has blamed a combination of worsening climate change and irresponsible human behaviour for the devastating flash floods that killed at least 12 people in Accra, as torrential rains also paralysed large parts of Lagos, once again exposing the Nigerian commercial capital’s chronic drainage and waste management crisis.
The flooding, triggered by exceptionally heavy rainfall over the weekend and into Monday, submerged roads, homes and businesses across both West African cities, forcing hundreds of rescues in Ghana while leaving thousands of Lagos residents stranded for hours on flooded highways and neighbourhood streets.
Preliminary figures released by the Ghanaian government showed that approximately 140 millimetres of rain fell on Accra, more than twice the highest single-day rainfall recorded last year.
“The amount of rainfall recorded today is among the highest experienced in several years,” President Mahama said.
“Preliminary data indicates that approximately 140 millimetres of rain fell on Accra. By comparison, the highest single-day rainfall recorded last year was about 56 millimetres.”
The President acknowledged that changing weather patterns were making extreme rainfall increasingly difficult to predict or prevent.
“That aspect of the problem is beyond our control because it is driven by changing climatic conditions,” he said.
However, Mahama insisted that climate change alone could not explain the scale of destruction.
“There is the issue of human behaviour.
“Whenever government begins removing structures built in waterways, some people accuse us of being inhumane. Yet when disasters such as today’s flooding occur, the consequences affect everyone.
“The irresponsible actions of a few individuals end up putting entire communities at risk.”
His remarks came after floodwaters swept through several parts of Accra, trapping residents in homes and vehicles, while emergency responders rescued more than 150 people from submerged communities.
The flooding also sparked fires in parts of the Ghanaian capital after water reportedly came into contact with electrical installations, compounding an already dangerous emergency.
Among those killed were a mother and child, according to local emergency officials.
As rescue operations continued, the Ghanaian Presidency announced immediate financial support for victims and longer-term flood prevention measures.
In a statement signed by Presidential Spokesperson and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, President Mahama directed the immediate release of GHS300 million from the national Contingency Fund.
According to the Presidency, GHS150 million will finance urgent humanitarian relief for flood victims and affected communities, while another GHS150 million will be devoted to flood mitigation projects aimed at reducing future disasters.
The President also ordered the deployment of personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces and the Police Service to reinforce the National Disaster Management Organisation and other emergency agencies carrying out rescue and relief operations.
Earlier in the day, Mahama conducted an aerial assessment of flooded communities to evaluate the full extent of the disaster and announced additional measures intended to protect residents and strengthen flood resilience.
Although no deaths were immediately reported in Lagos, the torrential downpour left much of the city virtually at a standstill, with several major roads disappearing beneath floodwaters.
Sections of the Lekki-Epe Expressway, Gbagada, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Ajah and other parts of the metropolis were inundated, forcing motorists to abandon vehicles while commuters waded through knee-deep water.
Videos circulating on social media showed floodwater entering homes and businesses, with some residents reporting water levels of about six inches inside their buildings.
Unlike Ghana, where the exceptional rainfall was significantly above historical records, Lagos residents are becoming increasingly accustomed to severe flooding during the rainy season.
Experts have repeatedly warned that while climate change is intensifying rainfall across coastal West Africa, the scale of flooding in Lagos is also being driven by human activity.
Improper waste disposal remains one of the city’s most persistent environmental challenges. Plastic bottles, nylon bags, food containers and other refuse routinely clog drainage channels and canals, preventing stormwater from flowing freely into larger waterways.
The consequences are predictable. Roads become rivers within hours of heavy rainfall, homes are inundated, businesses suspend operations, traffic grinds to a halt and economic losses mount.
Illegal construction on drainage alignments, wetlands and natural floodplains has further reduced the city’s ability to absorb excess rainfall.
Urban planners have long warned that as Lagos expands rapidly, continued encroachment into waterways, combined with inadequate drainage maintenance and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, will leave millions of residents increasingly vulnerable to flooding.
Mahama’s comments on the “human behaviour” behind flood disasters therefore resonate well beyond Ghana’s borders.
His warning that “the irresponsible actions of a few individuals end up putting entire communities at risk” mirrors concerns repeatedly raised by Nigerian environmental experts, who argue that government investment in drainage infrastructure alone cannot solve flooding unless residents also stop treating canals and drainage systems as refuse dumps.
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