An environmental specialist and Chief Executive Officer of Koans Estate, Dr. Kofi Anokye, has argued that traditional authorities and heads of families who sell land without proper planning should bear significant responsibility for the recurring flooding in many parts of Ghana.
According to him, while governments have an obligation to provide storm drains and other public infrastructure, indiscriminate land sales and unplanned developments have become one of the biggest drivers of urban flooding across the country.
Speaking in an interview, Dr. Anokye said many communities have expanded without approved layouts, allowing buildings to spring up on waterways, wetlands and drainage corridors.
“The number one cause of most urban flooding is poor planning. Chiefs and heads of families own much of the land and continue to sell plots without proper planning and approved layouts. When development catches up, government struggles to provide drains because buildings have already occupied waterways,” he stated.
He explained that several government-planned communities, including Achimota, Tesano, Kanda and parts of Dansoman, have generally experienced fewer planning-related flooding challenges because development followed approved layouts.
However, he argued that many privately developed communities have suffered from poor planning, narrow access roads and blocked drainage channels due to uncontrolled land sales.
Dr. Anokye stressed that traditional landowners should not be excluded from discussions on flood prevention, insisting that they play a central role in determining how their lands are developed.
He said chiefs and family heads often sell land before engaging professional planners or securing the necessary approvals from local planning authorities, making it difficult for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to implement proper drainage systems after houses have already been constructed.
“When there is no approved layout, government cannot simply move in to construct drains. Any attempt to demolish buildings creates conflict because people have legally purchased the land and built on it,” he noted.
The environmental specialist called for stricter legislation to discourage the sale of land without approved planning schemes.
He proposed making the sale of land without approved layouts a criminal offence, arguing that such a law would compel landowners and developers to comply with planning regulations before any construction begins.
“There must be penalties for selling land without approved planning. Environmental destruction affects everyone, not just the individuals involved. Criminalising the practice will serve as a deterrent,” he said.
Dr. Anokye also urged government to strengthen the enforcement of environmental laws, saying Ghana’s legal framework is generally adequate but implementation remains weak.
Drawing comparisons with the United States, he said environmental offences there are often handled under stricter systems, creating stronger deterrence against environmental crimes.
He further called for reforms that would strengthen environmental enforcement in Ghana, including tougher sanctions for illegal developments, encroachment on waterways and other activities that contribute to flooding.
The comments come amid renewed public debate over the causes of persistent flooding in Accra and other major cities, with experts increasingly pointing to poor land-use planning, encroachment on waterways, weak enforcement of planning regulations, inadequate drainage infrastructure and indiscriminate waste disposal as major contributing factors.
Dr. Anokye urged policymakers to involve traditional authorities more directly in addressing the country’s urban planning challenges, insisting that sustainable development can only be achieved when landowners, developers, local assemblies and government institutions work together to ensure proper planning before land is sold and developed.
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