Understanding the physical and human contexts of fluvial floods in rural Ghana

Major past floods that have resulted in huge losses to households along the Black and White Volta Basins have raised the question of whether they were consequences of climate change or direct anthropogenic activities. This paper therefore examines the physical and human contexts of fluvial floods in rural Central Gonja District of Ghana using the mixed-methods technique. Mann Kendall test was employed to show rainfall trends from 1980 to 2016 supplemented with household surveys and in-depth interviews. The primary data were analysed using IBM SPSS (Version 21) as well as thematic analytical framework. There was no evidence to show that past floods in the district was climate change induced. Results however indicated that floods in Central Gonja District have been the results of a mix of factors including the perennial opening of the Bagre Dam in Neighbouring Burkina Faso, floodplain intrusion and the generally flat topography. The paper thus recommends as a short-term measure an effective collaboration between relevant institutions in Ghana and their counterparts in Burkina Faso for ensuring effective management and use of the shared water resources of the Black and White Volta. An effective flood risk communication, supported by early warning signals is critical in reducing flood disaster losses. In the long-term, however, a relocation of these communities away from the river banks with the support of the District Assembly and other stakeholders will be a welcome alternative.