Is it a warning from God?

Floods are not new to us in this country.  In fact it will be very unusual, should the rains set in in a particular year and we do not witness any flooding in parts of the country, especially in parts of Accra. 

Hence flooding has become like an undesirable friend in the neighbourhood, who frequently visits but we are lethargic in asking him or her to leave.  Such has been the story as far as flooding in this country and to be precise this city of Accra is concerned. 

Since the beginning of June, floods have been reported on parts of the city as usual and the flooding of some homes. However, the rains which started on Monday, June 28, at dawn and continued till after 12 noon, has resulted in an unprecedented consequences. 

The destruction is simply beyond measure.  The scale of the loss of life, the trauma citizens experienced and the destruction that resulted from it, are simply terrifying. You begin to ask yourself, is this a punishment from God for something we have done as a nation or it is just a warning, for us to amend our ways?

A video I saw on either Tik Tok or WhatsApp, showed a massive floating mass of trash being carried along the Odaw River downstream and it was so surreal.

 It showed that we are engulfed in filth as a city and the rains just exposed us, big time, the lip service we pay to issues of sanitation and drainage in the city, government after government.  

We have not attached any seriousness to addressing the flooding problem that had confronted this nation.  Initiatives that have been started, were not seen through to their logical conclusion. 

It looked like we are a people who believe that problems will somehow resolve themselves, without the intervention of the appropriate authorities.  That is not how things work in life.  Human beings make conscious effort to analyse challenges or issues and put in place plans to address them. 

We have had some ridiculous occasions where, some people have blamed disasters on some supernatural forces.  How can the lack of proper planning, resulting in flooding be attributed to some supernatural influences. 

When we take waste disposal seriously, gutters or drains are not going to get choked and the water from the rains will eventually find its way into the ocean without getting into people’s houses and destroying lives and property. 

A report of flooding affecting people in Samreboi, in the Western Region was on TV screens and it was attributed to the galamsey activities.  This is a clear lack of respect for the environment which has been divinely given to us, to enjoy freely but we have callously decided to ruin it. 

In this regard, I am tempted to agree, in this regard, with those who believe that this serious flooding may be a punishment and therefore I am tempted to ask, is it a warning to us?

In this nation of ours in which now everything is being turned into negative politicking, a video I watched threw me into laughter.  It also exposed the lack of candour of some of our leaders, who say anything just to gain political power. 

In the video, a presidential candidate of a certain country, was saying that, his predecessor had mismanaged affairs so much that it is no longer raining in the country, how ridiculous. 

What is the link between mismanagement of a country’s economy and rainfall?   In another video he was saying that, if he wins power and become President, he will ensure that the drains are kept clean so that when it rains, there is free flow of water to prevent flooding. 

A few moments later, like the now popular refrain, there was an unprecedented flooding after he had taken power and was in charge of that country. God bless.

By Laud Kissi-Mensah