Every rainy season, Accra floods. Houses are submerged, vehicles destroyed, and lives lost. The tragedy is that much of this is preventable — if buyers had checked flood risk before purchasing land. Here's what you need to know.
Why Accra Floods
- Low-lying coastal geography: Much of Accra sits near sea level with poor natural drainage
- Concrete surfaces: Rapid urbanization has replaced vegetation with impermeable concrete, preventing water absorption
- Blocked waterways: Drains and streams choked with rubbish and illegal structures
- Building in floodplains: Developers building where they shouldn't
- Inadequate drainage infrastructure: Drains designed for a city of 500,000 serving a city of 5 million
High-Risk Areas to Avoid
Severely Flood-Prone (Avoid for Residential Purchase)
- Odawna / Odaw River corridor: Floods annually, sometimes catastrophically
- Kaneshie Low-Cost: Regularly inundated
- Alajo / Nima low-lying sections: Poor drainage, annual flooding
- Madina / Adentan low sections: Flash flooding during heavy rain
- Accra New Town (Korle Lagoon surroundings): Lagoon flooding
- Dansoman (low sections): Poor drainage
- Abossey Okai: Regular flooding of commercial areas
Moderate Risk (Proceed with Caution)
- Achimota (low sections)
- Lapaz (some areas)
- Dome (valley sections)
- Kasoa coastal belt
Lower Risk Areas
- East Legon hills
- Airport Residential (elevated sections)
- Spintex (elevated sections — avoid low sections)
- Dodowa (elevated)
- Oyibi highlands
How to Check Flood Risk Before Buying
- Visit during rainy season (May-October) — see the drainage with your own eyes
- Ask neighbors — residents know which areas flood
- Check NADMO records — the National Disaster Management Organisation has flood history data
- Look for water stains on walls of existing buildings — indicates previous flooding
- Check the elevation — land below the road level often floods
- Look for drainage channels — well-engineered drainage reduces but doesn't eliminate risk
- Ask your surveyor about the land's natural drainage
Red Flags During Site Visit
- The land is visibly lower than surrounding roads
- There are water channels or streams nearby
- Existing buildings show watermarks above ground level
- The seller offers the land at significantly below-market price
- Vegetation suggests wet or waterlogged soil
What You Can Do About Flood Risk
If you already own flood-prone land:
- Fill and raise the plot level before building (minimum 1.5m above road level)
- Build on stilts or raised foundation
- Install proper drainage channels around the property
- Get flood insurance (some Ghanaian insurers offer this)
Use our free Land Deal Risk Check to assess all risks in your land deal. Also read the Accra land buying checklist.