Frafraha residents, neighbouring communities brace themselves for rains

Some residents of Adenta-Frafraha in Accra are bracing themselves for the rainy season, following repeated flooding over the past few years.

The floods have been breaking walls and destroying household equipment in the area. 

During a visit to the area last Tuesday, one of the residents, Mr Samuel Oko Adjetey, who lives in Adenta-Dodowa, said: “I have rebuilt my fence wall three times because of the floods and now the rains are starting again”.

He said repeated flooding in the area had continuously destroyed portions of the wall surrounding his house, which is next to a waterway. This had forced him to spend money on repairs almost every year.

“Now, I’m even used to it because it happens every year. Sometimes we don’t even sleep because we have to keep an eye on the water level. The side of my fence wall always collapses and I have to rebuild it”. 

He said that after last year’s flood, he reinforced the concrete and iron rods used in building the wall to make it withstand the heavy rains, adding that he was hopeful that this year his fence wall would not collapse.

As dark clouds continue to gather more frequently over parts of the country, fear is also gradually returning to nearby flood-prone communities, such as Ashiyie, Lakeside, Fulani, Malejor, and Amrahia, where many residents are still recovering from last year’s floods.

For many households, preparing for the rainy season has become a yearly routine.

In interviews, some residents said they had started clearing gutters around their homes, while others were raising furniture and electrical appliances onto higher platforms.

“I have even started taking my important documents and appliances to a family member’s house. She lives at Dodowa and their place doesn’t flood,” Madam Akosua said.

Following last year’s floods, which left many residents stranded and claimed three lives within the municipality, some residents have started digging temporary gutters and removing refuse from drainage channels in an attempt to allow rainwater to flow more freely.

At Fulani, a commercial driver, Mr Daniel Tetteh, said the poor state of roads in the area worsened whenever it rained heavily.

“The roads become almost impossible to use. Sometimes we get stuck in the water and residents struggle to move around. Many drivers now avoid certain roads during downpours because they fear their vehicles could break down or become trapped in floodwaters,” he said.

At the Adentan-Foster Home Bus Stop, motorbike riders who commute within the area said they had already started increasing fares to certain areas because of the condition of the roads during the rainy season.

“When it rains, the roads become very bad, so if you are going to places like White House, we charge GH¢10 instead of the usual GH¢6. Some of the roads spoil our motorbikes,” Dickson Dinku said.

Fear returns with the rains

Another resident of Malejor, Mavis Adwoa Owusu, said many families now pay closer attention to the skies.

“Anytime the sky becomes dark, everybody starts calling family members to return home early. Even getting a car from town to the house is difficult and these trotro drivers will charge double,” she said.

According to her, even though she wasn’t affected, she knew people who lost electrical appliances and other belongings.

What causes the floods

According to residents of Frafraha, Ashiyie and other areas, the floods were being caused by people building in unauthorised places, choked open gutters and indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

They also noted that there were many heaps of sand in the communities for construction work on buildings and ongoing developments.

“The sand too is part, especially now that they are constructing the road. When it rains, it just washes the sand into the gutters, then erosion takes place, leading to the floods,” a provision shop attendant and resident of Amrahia, Miss Diana Daikayah, said.

Calls for urgent action

The Ghana Meteorological Agency has already warned that some coastal and southern parts of the country could experience above-normal rainfall during the 2026 rainy season, increasing fears among residents in flood-prone communities.

Meanwhile, some residents say they are disappointed that little improvement has been made to drainage infrastructure in parts of the municipality since last year’s floods.

They are, therefore, calling on the Adentan Municipal Assembly and other authorities to intensify desilting exercises and address drainage challenges before the rains become heavier in the coming weeks.