Floods to hit Accra - Meteo Cautions and updates on safety measures

The Deputy Director and Head of Research and Applied Meteorology of the GMET encouraged on the need for Ghana to improve on safety mechanisms.

Floods to hit Accra - Meteo Cautions and updates on safety measures
Floods

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMET) has cautioned inhabitants in Accra on the increase of floods this year due to low resilience of the area to adapt to heavy rains.

GMET disclosed that the rise of building in waterways, inadequate and choked drainage systems among others are contributory factors that could awaken the disaster.

“Previously, Accra could get flooded only when it experienced over 80 millimetres of rains, but currently even about 30 millimetres of rains could make the city go under water. The situation is due to anthropogenic (human) activities among individuals who live in the area,” the agency said.

At a press briefing in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Director and Head of Research and Applied Meteorology of the GMET, Mrs Francisca Martey, encouraged on the need for Ghana to improve on safety mechanisms, particularly within lowland areas in the Greater Accra Region, to ensure individual safety.

She advised that individuals residing in lowland areas should move to higher grounds to avoid threatening their lives.

 

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Projecting when the rainy season would start, Mrs Martey said the rains were expected from the final week of February to the third week in March in the forest zone, with the coastal belt, comprising the west and the east, expecting them from the first week of March through to the second week in April.

For the transition zone, the rains were expected from the fourth week of March through to the second week of April, while the North, Upper East and Upper West zones were projected to experience rain from the second week of April through to the second week of May, she added.

The Director General of the agency, Mr Micheal Tanu, warned that there was a high probability that this year’s rains would be accompanied by strong winds and lightning. He advised that the transport services to adhere to safety precautions.

“This year’s season may lead to some roads becoming impassable, for which reason road users and transport services should be mindful when plying the roads, particularly in Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi. Drivers should also resist and desist from driving through flood water,” he said.

He also advised light aircraft to take utmost care and avoid flying through deep convection clouds that were associated with severe turbulence and lightning, especially in the afternoon.