Hundreds of residents in Accra were reportedly trapped in their homes on Monday after heavy overnight rains triggered severe flooding across the community.
Large sections of Afienya, including TOR Estate, Jerusalem, the Sanford Clinic area and Ablekuma, were inundated after hours of rainfall that began on Sunday night and continued into the early hours of Monday.
The immediate past Assembly Member for the Afienya Electoral Area, Habib Awudu Mohammed, described the situation as one of the worst the community has experienced in years.
He said personnel from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Ghana National Fire Service had been deployed to rescue residents stranded by the floodwaters.
“Luckily, we got in touch with the NADMO rescue team; some of them are here, the Fire Service are here in their numbers, and we are doing our best to see how best we can rescue the people,” Mohammed said.
According to him, the last time Afienya witnessed flooding of a similar magnitude was about 16 years ago.
The flooding also disrupted traffic along the Afienya-Tema highway, with motorists experiencing long delays as sections of the road became difficult to navigate.
Elsewhere in the capital, thousands of commuters faced a frustrating start to the week as floodwaters submerged major roads, causing severe congestion across several parts of Greater Accra.
Flood-prone areas, including sections of the George Walker Bush Highway, the Kaneshie-Mallam corridor, the Adenta-Dodowa Road, the Achimota-Ofankor stretch and parts of Accra’s Central Business District, recorded heavy traffic as vehicles struggled through waterlogged roads.
Many commuters were left stranded at bus stops after some commercial drivers delayed operations or avoided flooded routes altogether, while long queues formed at transport terminals as passengers searched for available vehicles.
Pedestrians were also forced to wade through ankle-deep water in several communities to reach bus stops, workplaces and schools.
The latest flooding has once again renewed concerns over Accra’s longstanding drainage challenges, which frequently leave communities vulnerable during periods of intense rainfall.
The Ghana Meteorological Agency has in recent weeks warned of intensified rainfall as Ghana enters the peak of the rainy season and has urged residents to remain vigilant, avoid flood-prone areas and heed advice from disaster management authorities.
Source: asaaseradio.com
