From Justica Anima
get the chance to bath in the
rains. After the rains, I was part of the squad who went out on a snail
hunting spree in search of some snails for the household. It was during
this stage of my life that I discovered that some snails are edible
while others are poisonous; same with mushrooms. Games like "ampe",
"tumatu" and clay moulding were also much interesting when played after
the rains. For instance, "tumatu" involved, first of all, drawing
lines on the ground. You then use sand-in-rubber to jump into each stage
till you reach the final level of the game. In all of these processes,
the wet ground facilitated clearer lines and proper landing of the
sand-in-rubber (the material that determines which level you get into in
the game). These days I don't really see children playing these games
as much as we did in those days; not on sunny days and neither on rainy
days. Perhaps, floods are posing a bigger threat with regards to
rainfall in Accra unlike before.
Growing up in Accra was fun. I recall the days when children were
excited about rainfall because we would
Rainfall seem to
have become a scare for the people of Accra, especially following the
June 3 floods that took away many lives. Nobody dares to play in the
rains any longer. My Alajo(a suburb of Accra) days cannot be forgotten
when it comes to talking about floods. If you live in the part of Accra
where it does not easily get flooded thank Heavens. Those were sad times
because rains entered our rooms and most of our belongings would be
seen swimming in the water. For days, we had to hang our mattress and
wet items in the sun which really did not show up during such moments.
It was always a pitiful sight to behold. Sometimes we had to just make
fun of the situation and laugh at neighbors whose shoes and "Ghana must
go" bags were being carried away. Seeing them chasing after these things
could really crack a person up with laughter, despite all that was
going on around us.
Tuning in to my radio set
this morning really brought back memories. Can you believe that
somewhere last year, the floods carried away a listener's kiosk which
she found three days after? What could be the solution to this worrying
issue which render people sleepless whenever there are rains? The
feeling of loosing a property or a loved one to the floods is what
terrifies people these days. One can only ask him or herself if the
rains are a blessing or a curse. To me, the focus should be shifted from
the rains and be brought to real human activities that pose this
challenge in society. Some of these activities may include dumping of
refuse into gutters(which I have observed on several occasions),
littering around, and not regularly distilling our gutters.
Recently,
I got stuck at Nkrumah Circle because of the rains. I was at the bus
stop near Vodafone when the rains suddenly came down, and so I went to
seek cover at a Filling station close by. After about ten minutes I
decided to move from there and find the next available car to my house
because the ground was gradually filling up with rains. On crossing to
the other side of the road where I could get a car home, I realised the
place was already flooded. There and then, I asked myself if the N1
Interchange constructors had considered building drains or not? The
answer to this question is quite obvious. The radio station I tuned in
to also had a Public Relations personnel from Zoomlion Waste Management
Company, promising Ghanaians, and those in Accra precisely, that the
Odaw river dredging exercise was underway. This really got me pissed.
What will 'underway' in this context mean to listeners who need clear
answers to this problem? I must admit that so much talk with nothing to
show for it is killing us as a nation. It is rather funny how the Odaw
river too has been blamed for almost every flood in Accra and yet little
or nothing at all is being done about it.
Let's
be frank to ourselves, when last did you drop rubbish on the ground?
Was it your fault that you dropped it off since you did not get any
wastebin to drop them into? After every sanitation day program, do we
collect the rubbish we remove from the gutters or we just leave them
there? What is the permanent solution to flooding in Accra? As for me
and my family, the little we can do is not to litter around and clean
our gutters regularly. Can we guarantee same solution for people in our
neighborhood and expect that they will willingly comply? As more and
more people are migrating into Accra, are there measures to control
waste management or should we just totally forget about finding
solutions? I must also make mention that there are fewer drainage
systems in most neighborhoods in Accra that could allow easily flow of
water into the sea. Assembly men and Community leaders should quickly
help check that more drainage systems are built.
My
last statement should be read with meaning... Dear Accra Mayor and
policy makers in the Accra Metropolis, save us the plenty talk and less
work to show for it. Accra is our 'city' and we need to maintain that
status without fear or favor. The last time I checked, a city is a
central business district. This is where most of our investors and
business partners come to deliberate on important National agenda and
international market relations discussions. Do your possible best to
save it. We are truly tired of all the promises and talks. The earlier
you put your pens to paper, the better Accra it will be for all of us.
You cannot expect us to pay taxes and not demand for solutions from you.
Then we might as well keep our monies and use them to solve our own
issues in the most efficient ways we can.
What
is your take on the Floods in Accra? How have you been a victim to this
flood situation? Is it the individual or government responsibility to
solve this menace? I will love to hear from you. Let's all help to build
a better Accra together. Stop littering. Do the right thing. Also,
don't forget to spread the word.
Justica Anima
Adjeianima@gmail.com
Switstica.blogspot.com
