Whenever the clouds gather, people hurriedly seek shelter and protect their properties from the possible devastating effects of the rains.

But not everyone is safe against the caprices of the weather. They would rather be left with mental imprints of the havoc wreaked in their homes and unfortunate memories of their lost loved ones to the floods.

Over the years, floods from torrential rains have swept through many homes in the Ashanti region’s capital, Kumasi, ravaging hard-earned properties swallowing and washing away structures.

While the heavy rains batter many people, the vulnerabilities women and children are exposed to by the floods are terribly frustrating.

Akua, a resident at Dichemso, a suburb of Ghana’s second-largest city, has always been at the mercy of the rains. Immediately the clouds gather, she quickly returns home, wherever she is, to salvage her household items from possible ruins.

“When it rains here, the water could get to your neck level,” she narrated how the water levels swallowed her home whenever it rained for long hours.

Akua Nyarkowaa lives in a detached house with her three children. After the floodwaters recede every time it rains, she always scoops water out of one of the rooms in the house she and her family occupy.

The veranda of the three-bedroom ‘boys quarters’ apartment is periodically soaked in muddy sludge.

“If it floods, you must stay outside for over 3 hours for the water to recede. Even when you return, you must sleep with your stuff inundated by water. Even after a week, our house is still muddy,” Akua recounted.

She continued: “The floods wet my son’s books, so he’s unable to go to school. Everything we own has been damaged. We don’t know where to go”.

Flood-prone communities in Kumasi

Akua’s neighbourhood, Dichemso, is one of the many flood-prone communities in Kumasi, where many households are ejected from their homes during the rainy season.

Kumasi is located within the Pra Basin and is divided into five sub-basins: Kwadaso, Subin, Aboabo, Wiwi and Susan.

A few meters away from Akua’s home sits a major drainage running through the vicinity and flows into the Aboabo basin. The drain is renowned for overflowing its banks even at the slightest fall of the rains.

Engineers suggest the drain, which was originally constructed to accommodate a specified maximum amount of water, is now overwhelmed by the annual increase in rainfall.

This is the condition of most drainage systems in the city and, by extension, the country.

Recent research by the Centre for Settlement Studies at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology explored the impacts of floods in Kumasi and their implications on women.

It investigated the causes and impact of floods on seven flood-prone communities in the city, namely, Deduako, Asabee, Tuba, Breman East, Ahinsan Kuwait, Kwadaso East, and Aduampong.

Affordability in waterlogged areas

The risk of flooding is projected to increase due to the annual rise in rainfall and conversion of floodplains to settlement.

Despite these annual cautions, people continue to dwell in mushy areas, citing the affordability of houses situated in such areas, with other reasons being personal choice and availability of the lands/homes.

Dr Eric Simpe, a member of the research team, revealed the study found that dwellers in waterlogged areas did so to avoid litigations over a parcel of land, as many people would not settle in the flood-prone areas.

“Low-income earners aren’t able to afford much, so they’re able to purchase lands in these areas,” Dr. Eric Simpe revealed.

Women were found to usually accept to stay in such areas owing to the proximity of their homes to places like market centres, usually their place of work, offering convenience.

“Some of the dwellers opt for these places because of the proximity to the city centre, and then they can get access to other facilities such as shops, schools and other amenities,” Dr. Simpe said.

“Some people stay in these areas for security reasons. They don’t want to live in remote areas. Although some of the remote places aren’t flood-prone areas, given the fact that their security is at stake, they prefer to stay in flood-prone areas. It’s better off living in these flood-prone communities. Some want to live close to their relatives and friends,” he added.

Adapting to the floods to avoid psychological impacts

The devastation left behind by the floods has forced many women to adopt strategies to save their homes.

The research found that most women affected by the annual floods have specially designed tables and shelves to accommodate their items when the downpour inundates their homes.

The tables with long legs are positioned in the safest space in the house to avoid being smashed by the water current.

Prof. Sylvana Rudith King, a member of the research team with a special focus on women and floods, explained if these measures are not taken, the impacts of the flood water leave lasting imprints on the mental health of victims, especially women.

“When they don’t do that, they go through psychological problems. They get worried when they see the rain fall wherever they are. They don’t know if they will get home early, especially the market women,” she said.

She insists women are at the dreadful end of the impacts as they are usually overwhelmed by the situation.

“These challenges are overwhelming for the women more than the men. The men are usually working outside the home. The women are rather confronted with the realities of what the floods can do to them. They are always in the home to take care of the domestic chores,” she said.

Building a flood-resilient community

With a changing climate, annual precipitations are expected to increase over the period while settlements and landscapes in Ghana remain unchanged.

Major drains in cities across the country built over 30 years to accumulate and re-direct floodwaters have outlived their usefulness as they usually overflow their banks.

Dr Eric Simpe is recommending the re-engineering of major drains as the human population grows, putting a lot of pressure on facilities.

“The drains that we currently have aren’t big enough to sustain the volume of water during rainy seasons,” he said. We have to think of flood-resilient construction when it comes to residential, educational and other facilities,” he said.

Dr Simpe is also suggesting the construction of high-level foundations to prevent water percolations.

“We can raise the foundation of buildings we put up. The higher the level of the floor, it will be able to prevent the percolation of water. We should also introduce damp-proof materials,” he said.

Awareness creation

From the research, it was observed most women were unaware of the strategies that could be adopted to withstand the shocks of the devastation of the floodwaters.

In most cases, victims, especially women, are supported with some clothing aid and other essentials.

However, Prof. Rudith King believes awareness creation is needed to ensure women can adapt to floods during the rainy seasons.

“We need to create awareness for both the stakeholders and the women so that they can both know what to do during such times. They need training in resilience management so they can cope with the situation,” she said.

“Climate change is a reality, so we need to create awareness about the effects of extreme water so that we aren’t caught unawares,” Prof. Rudith King concluded.