ACCESS4ALL Group

The major hazards faced by my country Ghana are; Flooding, Droughts, Coastal Erosion, Bushfires, Storms and rainstorms.

The southern part the country experiences enough rainfall throughout the year whereas the Upper part of the country experiences little rains throughout the year. As a result, during rainy seasons, parts of the country around the south receives high rainfall which result to flooding. During these periods, a lot of economic activities are often halted. People remain indoors, businesses are shut down and this decreases production.

People around the northern part of Ghana also experience severe droughts due to little or no rainfall. Water for Consumption, Irrigation and other purposes become scarce during these times.

Also, during dry seasons part of the country experience bushfires which damage the natural vegetation and the habitats for many organisms.

Climate change significantly impacts the occurrence of these hazards. Increased in rainfall intensity has led to frequent and severe floods in areas like Accra and Kumasi. Rising temperatures has also led to severe and prolonged drought in areas like the Northern, Upper West,Upper East and Savannah Region of Ghana. Rise in sea level has also impacted Coastal Erosion significantly in areas like Keta in the Volta Region of the Country. All these are evidences of how Changes in climate has impacted Ghana significantly.

As mentioned earlier, Areas like Accra, Kumasi, Keta, Northern parts of the Country and the South are greatly affected by these hazards. It is an undeniable fact that almost the entire country faces the impacts of climate changes.

However, the most affected areas are the low income communities in Accra. Inhabitants, often live in flood prone areas with poor drainage systems and poor planning of their communities. Thus, improper layouts and slums.

Also, communities around the North of Ghana depends on rainfall for Agriculture. Droughts leads to crop failure and food shortages. This is because of the shortages of water for irrigation of crops.

Communities around the coast also feel the impacts of Climate Change through the rise in sea level which causes sea erosion. Sea erosion destroys homes and fishing infrastructures. Salt water intrusion also affects drinking water sources which make livelihoods around these areas more vulnerable to diseases and other health effects.

These communities use various traditional coping strategies, among which are:

• Plantation of drought resistant crops in the northern regions

• Tree planting to reduce erosion and bushfires. And also to serve the purposes of Wind- break and Food for some organisms.

• Building raised foundations at flood prone areas and using stones to build structures to serve the purposes of Sea defense.

• Community cleanup exercises and many more.

All these traditional strategies have helped these local communities to cope with these challenges over the years.

This has been a great cause of concern and Governmental intuitions like the Natural Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) have played a pivotal role through the provision of relief items to affected communities, Building of Sea Defense (eg. Keta Sea Defense Project), Drainage improvement in Accra and many others.

Other Non- Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) and international organizations have also expressed their concerns through Emergency relief support, Climate adaptation training, water and sanitation projects, financial support for resilient agriculture and more .