Accra was once more inundated by a downpour which lasted a little over two hours yesterday, evoking fears about the usual casualties associated with such moments.
By the time the deluge stopped at around 2pm, many parts of the city had been submerged.
Circle, Odorna, Alajo, East Legon, the Alliance Francaise, Kaneshie, Mallam Junction, Darkuman Junction and many places were flooded.
The traffic situation around Villagio in the general area of the residence of former President Kufuor towards Dzorwulu was unbearable for motorists.
The long queue of vehicles snaked its way towards the George Bush Highway away from a flooded drainage system not far away.
Most parts of the streets were deserted by pedestrians, the apprehension of flood-related incidents informing the decision by many to stay off the roads.
Although there were no casualties, many are counting their losses and dreading the inconvenience associated with clearing their rooms and compounds of mud brought in by the rainwater.
The floods jolted maverick politician Hassan Ayariga into the public space after a long lull when pictures of his flooded Haatso residence and his posh cars went virile on social media.
His Facebook wall contained his pictures, some of them showing him in Wellington boots amidst his fleet of posh cars with the rainwater above tyre level.
When DAILY GUIDE spoke to him, he claimed the water had reached his knee, adding that some Good Samaritans, who heard what had befallen him, rushed to assist him.
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More Rains
The Ghana Meteorological Services Agency (GMA), with its enhanced forecasts, had earlier issued a weather warning but was largely ignored by residents who are not used to such advanced information.
An updated forecast suggested that a downpour being experienced offshore and along the coast was expected to intensify and move inland to affect the areas north of the coastline.
Residents in low lying parts of the city are being advised to take precautions against possible floods occasioned by more rains in the coming days.
So far, Accra has registered about four downpours, two of them causing casualties.
The first downpour, which lasted two hours, claimed five lives and some of the bodies were recovered when the rain had subsided.
In yet another downpour this season, two soldiers, a husband and wife, drowned when a Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) registered pickup was swept off a bridge at Ashaiman into a river with strong currents.
Flooding has become a perennial occurrence during the rainy season, with the casualties associated with it attracting public conversation.
The annual desilting of the Odaw drainage, which is the major channel for rainwater from the nation’s capital as it heads for the Atlantic Ocean, has not done much to obviate the situation.
DAILY GUIDE learnt from a source that Lagos, which shares similar weather pattern as Accra, also suffered a destructive aftermath of a downpour yesterday morning.
Uprooted trees, the source said, were seen in some parts of the commercial capital of Nigeria, creating inconvenience for motorists in a city notorious for traffic congestions.
The memory of the June 3 incident, which claimed 154 lives at the GOIL Filling Station, comes gushing in people’s minds in times like these.
By A.R. Gomda