Urban Flood Resilience, Ghana

A post on the Facebook page of The Architects’ Project from June 2nd featured an article titled, Ghana: Ghanaian Cities now heat and flood islands?

Jo Danquah, a highly valued friend and colleague, is a Research Scientist/ Architect at The Building and Road Research Institute #BRRI in Kumasi, one of the 13 research Institutes of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research #CSIR, Ghana. (The BRRI was established in 1952 as the West African Building Research Institute in Accra).

Below is Jo Danquah’s invaluable comments and thoughts on the main question posed in the article:

“Can the green-roof technology be prescribed into the building code of African cities?”

JD: “This is a brilliant write up concerning the issue of floods and climate change in our cities. I very much agree with these suggestions, though as you might have witnessed in Ghana the issue of enforcement of existing laws and policies is our biggest enemy. Thatch/green roof is a delight to live in when done with the right artisans. #RoyalSenchi resort in Ghana is a beautiful architectural piece to behold with lots of green elements.

Our building regulation (in Ghana) does not bar the use of Thatch for roofing but require you to make adequate protection against arson, fire etc. What will be its major challenge will be defusing the perception of it as an inferior material just like other local building materials. This perception permeates higher up the educated elite and politicians who make and enforce the laws.

Open spaces and land banks serving as green belts are being sold by the authorities that should know better. What has happened to regulations on provision of natural daylight and ventilation in buildings? There are requirements but these are flagrantly flouted, thus the decoration of every facade in the city with inferior glass with no protection creating serious urban heat islands everywhere. Our professional institutions are also not being proactive in championing these concepts though laudable.

I firmly believe that flooding [urban flooding in Ghana] will be a thing of the past if the existing laws and building regulations are strictly adhered to. Is it difficult for us to enact a law asking all buildings of all types to have at least the same number of trees as its occupants☺. That will be Ghana green initiative. Can we have an alternative to plastics as this is one of the problems in our choked drains causing these floods. Yet we have sanitation laws which if followed will help curb these.

We are a nation happy and eager to embrace all new things without critically analysing its implications in the long term and their sustainability in terms of regulation and enforcement. I love thatch roofing and green building initiatives but this will only work in an environment with strong institutions.”