The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has issued a scathing indictment of the nation’s infrastructure management, labelling the recurrent seasonal floods a “grave national failure” of planning and environmental governance.
Following sustained heavy rainfall that severely disrupted daily life and economic activity across Accra, Tema, and several other regions, the academic body expressed deep concern over the persistent devastation.
In a strongly worded statement, UTAG extended sympathies to those who have suffered the loss of lives, shelter, and livelihoods, whilst demanding a permanent shift away from temporary, reactive interventions.
“The recurrence of floods in Ghana, particularly in urban centres, is no longer a seasonal inconvenience to be managed with routine statements,” the association stated. “The persistent destruction of lives and property through flooding, year after year, is unacceptable and must be treated as a matter of urgent national priority.”
The lecturers’ union is urging the Government to implement a comprehensive national flood mitigation agenda backed by strong political will and institutional accountability.
Key recommendations include the aggressive enforcement of planning regulations, the urgent redesign and desilting of drainage systems, the protection of natural wetland retention basins, and the immediate removal of structures obstructing public waterways.
Furthermore, UTAG called for strict accountability among public officials responsible for land use control and building approvals, criticising the unchecked rise of unauthorized developments in ecologically sensitive zones.
The association stressed that safeguarding the environment is a shared responsibility, reminding estate developers, landlords, and citizens of the vital importance of complying with local planning laws.
Affirming its readiness to support the state, the association has offered its collective academic and technical expertise from public universities to assist in formulating evidence-based policies and sustainable flood management strategies.
“Ghana must not continue to normalize avoidable disasters,” UTAG warned, concluding that a nation which repeatedly witnesses its people suffer from the same preventable crisis cannot claim to be acting with the seriousness the moment demands.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana