Persistent floods over the years in Ghana, especially in the major cities, Accra and Kumasi, have been blamed on the behaviour and activities of some Ghanaians.

In order to avert further floods in these areas, the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the Ashanti Region, Samuel Oteng, has cautioned residents, especially those within the Kumasi metropolis, to desist from actions that will lead to floods in Kumasi.

He said: “It is out of our own attitudes or some of the activities that we undertake that creates some of these problems for us. So, as we enter into the rainy season, we are urging the general public to desist from some of the activities, actions, and inactions that may create this kind of situation. It mostly has to do with people throwing away rubbish and all sorts of things into the gutters… Sometimes people attempt to do construction activities that may block the flow of water and rivers that may also create problems for us.”

Mr Oteng said the agency had taken measures to educate and sensitise the general public on the need to protect the environment.

“Together, we all can build Ghana, we all can build Kumasi, it will not take only the officers of the agency to do that, we will always talk, we will always give the enlightenment, we will always tell the people what is to be done or what not be done, but if the public don’t come on board, there will be difficulty. That is why we are always appealing to the general public to come on board so that together we will dialogue and move the country,” he suggested.

He hinted of an exercise by the EPA next week to check whether the various institutions are meeting the agency’s requirements.

“We have been trying always to clean the system…We are going to embark on an exercise where the officers will go round with the security agencies to check who is complying and who is not complying, those who are not complying are always punished to the extent of sometime closing some activities, those we think will pose threat,” Mr Oteng disclosed.