Heavy downpour destroys documents at Lands Commission

Computers, scanners, and huge bundles of documents have been ruined at the Lands Commission Head Office in Accra after a heavy downpour on Saturday, 23 May 2022.

The basement of the new building, which contains the Records Room, Files Room, and I.T. Unit, was extensively flooded.

According to reports, indentures, land maps, and land documents are among the documents mostly affected. Essential land records have also been “mixed up” due to the flood’s destruction.

The Ghana News Agency had reported earlier that some staff were seen drying documents at the forecourt while others were rummaging through the wet documents in an attempt to recover some and reorganize those that had become jumbled.

A cleaning crew was also spotted scooping water from the basement. It said officials of the commission were tight-lipped about the situation.

Destruction by floods

Many lives have been lost and properties destroyed due to the annual floods.

In 2011, floods in the country resulted in the death of more than 30 people nationwide, with 15 victims in Accra.

In 2015, 159 people were confirmed dead from a twin disaster of floods and fire explosion.

It was one of the deadliest catastrophes to befall the country, leading to days of mourning as families lost their loved ones.

A fire explosion occurred after several hours of rain and flooding around the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange enclave.

In June 2020, a man died trying to warn neighbours about flooding at Odawna in Accra.

A resident explained that the deceased was trying to salvage some items when he was electrocuted during the flooding.

At Achimota, a bus was trapped in a storm drain. It was not carrying passengers. At least 20 persons were rescued from that incident after a downpour that lasted hours.

Flooding in Accra has also killed people and displaced people in the city in 1995, 1997, 2001, and 2010.