…Floods are not always natural disasters. Sometimes, they are simply the consequence of careless thinking
Every year, the ritual begins. The rains approach. Clouds gather. Weather warnings circulate. Radio stations carry urgent discussions. Municipal authorities issue directives.
“Desilt the gutters.”
“Clear the drains.”
“Remove the debris to prevent flooding.”
Communities mobilise. Contractors appear. Labourers descend into the drainage systems. Shovels scrape mud and refuse from clogged gutters. It is a familiar sight across many African cities. At first glance, it looks like progress. But then comes the irony. The painful, almost comedic irony. The silt removed from the drains is often piled neatly right beside the very gutter it came from. The rain arrives. Water flows. And quietly, patiently, inevitably, the rain carries the silt back into the same drainage system from which it was taken. The drains clog again. The floods return. And the cycle begins again next year. So one must ask the uncomfortable question:
What is wrong with us?
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The theatre of action without thinking
Sometimes it feels as though we have mastered the art of appearing to solve problems without actually solving them. We desilt the drains. But we leave the debris where gravity and rain can return it. We congratulate ourselves. Then the rain quietly reverses the entire exercise.
NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom): “Sweeping the room but leaving the dirt at the door invites the wind to finish the work.”
Interpretation: Half-solutions are often worse than no solution at all. The problem here is not effort. People are working. Labour is being expended. Money is being spent. The problem is thinking.
Floods are often human made
Many people describe urban flooding as a natural disaster. But in reality, many floods in African cities are not purely natural. They are engineered by negligence. Drainage systems designed to carry stormwater become blocked with plastic waste, sand, construction debris and organic refuse. When heavy rain arrives, water simply follows the laws of physics. It cannot flow through blocked channels. It rises. It spreads. It floods homes, markets, roads and businesses.
NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom): “Water is patient, but it never negotiates with obstruction.”
Interpretation: Nature obeys laws, not excuses.
The irony of seasonal awareness
Every year, we know the rains are coming. Every year, discussions about drainage intensify just before the rainy season. Every year, emergency cleanups are organised. And every year, the same mistakes are repeated.
Why do we behave as if rain is an unexpected guest?
Rainfall patterns are predictable. Climate data exists. Urban engineers understand stormwater flow. Yet our responses often resemble improvisation.
NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom): “The farmer who waits for thunder before repairing his roof will sleep in water.”
Interpretation: Preparation delayed is preparation denied.
The global contrast
In many European cities, drainage systems are maintained systematically throughout the year. Municipal crews do not simply remove debris and abandon it nearby. Waste is transported away immediately. In Singapore, stormwater management is integrated with urban planning. Drainage infrastructure is inspected, monitored and cleaned regularly with mechanised equipment.
In Japan, flood management includes underground water storage tunnels capable of diverting excess rainwater away from dense urban areas. In the Netherlands, entire engineering systems are built around water control because the country sits largely below sea level. These countries treat water management as serious infrastructure, not seasonal theatre.
NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom): “Those who respect water survive it.”
Interpretation: Civilisation progresses when natural forces are understood and managed intelligently.
The cost of carelessness
Flooding is not merely inconvenient. It is economically destructive. Shops lose inventory. Roads collapse. Vehicles stall. Electricity systems fail. Businesses close for days. Insurance costs rise. Health risks also escalate. Floodwaters carry sewage, chemicals and pathogens into residential areas. Children play in contaminated water. Mosquito breeding increases. Diseases spread.
NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom): “When gutters fail, hospitals prepare.”
Interpretation: Environmental negligence eventually becomes a health crisis.
The mindset problem
So why does this continue? Why remove silt only to leave it where rain will reclaim it? The explanation may lie deeper than logistics. It may lie in a culture of short-term thinking. The objective becomes completion of the task, not completion of the solution. The drain was cleared. The job is finished. Where the silt ultimately goes becomes someone else’s concern.
NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom): “Finishing the task is not the same as solving the problem.”
Interpretation: Process without purpose produces repetition.
Shared responsibility
Governments carry responsibility for infrastructure management. Municipal authorities must effectively supervise drainage maintenance. But citizens also play a critical role. Plastic waste dumped into gutters is a major contributor to blockages. Construction debris often finds its way into drainage channels. Public behaviour contributes directly to urban flooding.
NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom): “A drain cannot carry water if citizens carry rubbish into it.”
Interpretation: Urban infrastructure cannot function without civic discipline.
The engineering opportunity
Modern drainage maintenance is not primitive labour. Cities around the world use suction trucks, sediment transport systems and waste processing facilities to manage stormwater debris efficiently.
Urban planning integrates drainage networks with land-use policy, waste management, and flood-control engineering. African cities have engineers, planners and environmental scientists capable of designing better systems. The challenge is not a lack of knowledge. It is a lack of coordinated execution.
NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom): “Knowledge unused is wisdom wasted.”
Interpretation: Expertise must translate into policy and practice.
Why do we follow instead of lead?
Africa has some of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Urbanisation is accelerating. Population densities are increasing. Infrastructure pressure is mounting. Why do we not lead global conversations on climate-resilient urban drainage? Why must we wait for disaster reports before adopting best practices?
NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom): “Leadership begins where imitation ends.”
Interpretation: Innovation requires initiative, not imitation.
Practical solutions
Solutions to this issue are neither mysterious nor unattainable.
- Mandatory removal and transport of desilted material to designated waste sites.
- Scheduled year-round drainage maintenance rather than seasonal campaigns.
- Integration of waste management systems with stormwater infrastructure.
- Strict penalties for dumping refuse into gutters.
- Investment in mechanised drainage cleaning technology.
- Public education campaigns linking waste disposal with flood risk.
- Real-time monitoring of drainage networks in major cities.
These are standard urban management tools globally. There is no reason African cities cannot implement them.
The psychological cost of repetition
When citizens witness the same problem recurring every year, something dangerous happens. Confidence erodes. People begin to believe that nothing can change. That belief becomes self-fulfilling.
NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom): “Repeated failure teaches the mind to expect failure.”
Interpretation: Sustainable solutions restore public confidence in governance.
The hard question
Perhaps the most uncomfortable truth is this: We know better. Engineers know better. Urban planners know better. Citizens know better. Yet behaviour continues unchanged. Why? Is it complacency? Habit? Absence of accountability? What is wrong with us that we allow rain to undo the very work meant to prevent flooding?
Conclusion – When rain exposes thinking
Rain does not create problems. Rain reveals them. It reveals blocked drains. It reveals careless planning. It reveals half-finished solutions. It reveals the difference between activity and effectiveness.
NyansaKasa (Words of Wisdom): “Rain is honest. It exposes the work we pretend to complete.”
Interpretation: Nature quietly tests the seriousness of human preparation.
The next time gutters are desilted, let the work be completed fully. Remove the silt. Transport the waste. Protect the drainage system. Because flooding is not always the fault of rain. Sometimes it is the consequence of incomplete thinking. And until we confront that mindset, the question will remain unavoidable.
What is wrong with us?
And perhaps more importantly, what will we do differently before the next rain falls?
>>>Ing. Professor Douglas Boateng is a globally recognised governance and industrialisation strategist, known for advancing long-term, institution-focused leadership across Africa. A chartered engineer and boardroom governance authority, he works at the intersection of policy, board leadership, and economic transformation. He is the Convenor of the Boardroom Governance Summit, one of Africa’s leading platforms for chairs, CEOs, regulators, and policymakers to shape governance practice for generational impact. His work champions governance as national infrastructure—arguing that strong institutions, not strong personalities, drive sustainable development.
Professor Boateng is a leading voice on industrialisation, supply-chain strategy, board effectiveness, and generational leadership, with advisory roles across public and private sectors. He is also the creator of NyansaKasa, a widely followed series of reflective governance and life proverbs circulating across Africa and the diaspora. His writing blends insight, satire, and moral clarity to challenge comfortable thinking, urging leaders to govern for the unborn and to measure success not by applause, but by the strength of the institutions they leave behind.
