It is time we declared a bold and unapologetic war on the illegal activities that have become the root cause of these perennial floods. Mindset Transformation Initiative is calling on all stakeholders — government institutions, local authorities, traditional leaders, media, civil society organizations, and every citizen — to take the bull by the horn.
Enough of the talking. Enough of the blaming. Enough of the “annual mourning” season that follows every major rainfall. The time to act is now.
We cannot continue to build on watercourses and pretend to be shocked when water claims back its path. We cannot keep choking our drains with plastics and waste, then wonder why they overflow.
We cannot allow reckless sand winning, illegal developments, poor drainage planning, and weak enforcement of sanitation and building regulations to persist — and expect a different outcome.
The floods are not nature’s punishment; they are the fruits of our own indiscipline, neglect, and silence.
This year must be different. This is not just another wet season. It must be the beginning of a national mindset revolution.
We commend the various MMDCEs and the efforts they are making now but they must check their actions and inactions even during the dry seasons.
We should wait until the rains pour before we are running and breaking houses and walls.
We call on:
• Government agencies to enforce laws without fear or favour. Bulldoze illegal structures sitting in waterways. Prosecute offenders. Let the law bite — and bite hard.
• Municipal and district assemblies to lead clean-up campaigns and insist on strict adherence to planning laws. Stop issuing permits that defy common sense and environmental sustainability.
• Traditional authorities to stop allocating land for developments that compromise our environment and safety.
• Citizens to stop dumping refuse into drains, gutters, and streams. Take responsibility for your environment. Report wrongdoing. Join in clean-up exercises.
• The media to go beyond reporting disasters and begin sustained education and exposure of the root causes and the enablers.
• Faith-based organizations and schools to instil in the next generation a love for discipline, cleanliness, and environmental responsibility.
Let this be our final year of “we should have done better.” Let this be the beginning of real change — not because we fear the rains, but because we respect ourselves and value human life and dignity. It is a mindset issue.
And it is within our power to transform it.
This is a national emergency. It is not seasonal. It is not political. It is a Ghanaian problem. And it demands a Ghanaian solution.
Let’s stop the annual lamentations. Let’s start acting.
Think Ghana. Act Ghana. Build Ghana. — Mindset Transformation Initiative
Signed
Sidney Justin Tehoda
Executive Director
0208150096
Columnist: Mindset Transformation Initiative – MTI
