Clear drains, gutters to prevent flooding - GMet

Madam Felicity Ahafianyo, Acting Officer in Charge of Central Analysis and Forecasting, Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has called for the need to clear drains and gutters in public and residential areas to prevent flooding.

She said that though for this year, the second rainy season, which starts in September to November was expected to be normal to slightly below normal, there was the possibility of flooding to be quite low, and it was important to take every precaution to minimise some of the dangers of the season.

Madam Ahafianyo in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said flooding during the rainy season was sometimes a natural occurrence that could not be prevented but added that choked drains and gutters also contributed greatly to flooding during heavy rains.

She advised that with the on-set of the second rainy season in southern Ghana, people living in low lying areas to relocate to safer grounds during the season, to ensure safety.

The Senior Meteorologist urged the public to read the weather forecast by GMet from the World Meteorology Organisation website, as well as the GMet website, to plan their activities safely during the rainy season.

Flooding often results in the loss of lives and property in the country, especially urban centres.

Choked drains and gutters, as well as wrongly placed structures, have been cited by experts as major causes of life-threatening floods, during heavy rains.