Why Accra’s current flood strategy may not be futureproof for the city of 2035

The future flood resilience of Accra requires an integrated approach: protecting the city’s remaining natural flood systems, restoring degraded wetlands where possible, permanently enforcing land-use regulations, expanding waste management capacity, and investing in major engineering solutions capable of managing the runoff generated by a metropolis of 6.

GARID addresses important problems but may not match the scale of Accra’s future growthGARID is a necessary intervention because it improves drainage infrastructure, flood management capacity, solid waste management and resilience in vulnerable communities.

The challenge is that flood risk is increasing from several directions simultaneously: more people producing more waste;more impermeable surfaces from urban development;greater stormwater runoff;loss of wetlands and natural retention areas;increasing pressure on existing drainage systems.