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0 NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/gmet-warns-ghana-needs-600-stations-to-beat-flood-risk/Ghana faces heightened risk of catastrophic floods unless the country urgently invests in weather monitoring infrastructure, with the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) warning that current station coverage remains critically inadequate to protect lives and property.
Nana Kofi Opoku, Principal Meteorologist at GMet, said the country needs no fewer than 600 well-equipped weather stations nationwide, yet currently operates just over 150. He warned that without stronger observation networks, accurate forecasts will continue to elude the agency.
“The more observation networks we have, the better we are able to get data and the better the models will run to generate a forecast,” he stated.
Opoku traced the shortfall to years of poor maintenance and logistical failures that once reduced the station count from nearly 600 to as few as 60, a collapse from which the agency has only partially recovered. He added that radar systems were equally essential, as they provide higher-resolution data on approaching storms, their speed, movement and likely impact areas.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recently handed over nine automated weather stations to GMet under a $750,000 project titled “Strengthening Resilience on Water-Related Disasters under Climate Change for a Sustainable Society in Ghana,” funded by the Government of Japan. Opoku acknowledged the support but stressed it still leaves Ghana far short of the required national coverage.
Beyond equipment gaps, the meteorologist raised urgent concerns about worsening urban flooding in Accra, attributing the problem to rapid and unplanned expansion, weakened drainage infrastructure and construction on waterways.
Parts of Sakumono, Klagon, Pokuase and Adjiriganor were flooded last Sunday following heavy rains in the capital, in what GMet described as a signal of what lies ahead during the peak rainy season expected between June and early July.
Opoku said drainage systems built years ago could no longer handle current volumes of stormwater, and that excessive paving across the capital prevented absorption and accelerated runoff. “It can take people 10, 15 or 20 years to acquire property, but one flood event can destroy everything,” he cautioned.
GMet Director-General Eric Asuman has also urged residents in flood-prone communities to follow forecasts and weather warnings issued by GMet and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), and advised motorists against driving through flooded roads.
Opoku called for coordinated investment in early warning systems, flood-resilient infrastructure and public education from government, donor agencies and development partners.
NewsGhana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://www.newsghana.com.gh/gmet-warns-ghana-needs-600-stations-to-beat-flood-risk/
