Flash floods hit parts of Kumasi after rains on Monday

Some major suburbs of the Kumasi Metropolitan Area were flooded after a quick but severe rain on Monday, August 30.

The Ashanti Regional capital, Ghana’s second most populous city, experienced the rains in the morning. But after just about three hours, the inconvenience became worse for some residents.

Suburbs such as Adum, Kejetia, Atonsu-Ahinsan, Santasi TUC and others were flooded as residents struggled to cross the pools in vehicles and on foot.

Residents have called on city authorities to tackle the issues related to flooding within the metropolis. And many of them have connected these issues to sanitation.

The drainage system in a congested metropolis has been mentioned as well as issues relating to urban planning.

The floods in recent times have been costly for lives and livelihoods in Kumasi.

In June, a toddler drowned at Sawaba near the Affordable Housing Estate in Kumasi after a downpour on Wednesday, June 23.

The child was travelling with their mother on a tricycle popularly known as ‘pragya’ when they were stuck in floodwaters. They then got down from the vehicle to continue on foot.

A heavy downpour caused the flood on the day of the accident which affected many parts of Kumasi.

Speaking to news media after the incident, the driver of the tricycle, Ahmed Mohammed, said the mother of the child, while trying to continue the journey on foot together with the other passengers, had the child swept away by the flood.

He explained that his tricycle was stuck in the flood with five people on board, including the child.

“I pulled the hand brake to stop the tricycle from moving. The passengers kept shouting in fear. They all got down immediately the tricycle stopped. That was when I saw them fall into the floodwater,” he explained.

He went further to explain in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Joy FM on Thursday, June 24, that it took some men to help them out, but the child was not found.

The report said that, despite the incident, many either by foot or by vehicles, made efforts to cross the flooded area on Tuesday evening.

Meanwhile, it is being reported that the bridge over River Wewe, which links Sawaba with the rest of the Kumasi metropolis, is partly caved in, leading to perennial floods in the community.