A leading Climate Scientist at the University of Ghana has issued a stark warning that residents building on hilly slopes around Accra, particularly within the Ayi Mensah–Aburi stretch, could be heading toward a potential disaster, as unchecked construction and environmental degradation threaten to trigger deadly landslides.
Professor Kwadwo Owusu, Director for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies at the University’s Department of Geography and Resource Development, cautioned that the increasing wave of construction on slopes in areas such as Ayi Mensah and Aburi poses what he describes as a “second time bomb.”
Speaking in an interview on the Citi FM Morning Show, hosted by Bernard Koku Avle, Prof. Owusu explained that the science behind slope stability is being dangerously ignored.
According to him, the combination of heavy buildings and fragile slopes without proper geotechnical assessment creates conditions ripe for catastrophic failure.
“Once you put weight on a slope without understanding what it can take, you destabilise it,” he warned, adding “when the soil becomes saturated during heavy rains, or even under prolonged dry conditions, the slope can give way. Buildings will come down.”
He stressed that such collapses commonly referred to as landslides or mudflows are not hypothetical risks, but scientifically predictable outcomes if current practices persist.
The warning is grounded in visible transformation along the Ayi Mensah–Aburi corridor, where rapid residential development has replaced what was, until recently, dense green vegetation.
Prof. Owusu observed that hillsides that appeared lush and stable about a decade ago are now increasingly bare and built-up conditions that heighten both climatic and geomorphological risks.
“The slope will hold for a while, but with time, especially under heavy rainfall or prolonged dryness it can fail,” he warned.
Beyond structural instability, the professor pointed to the climatic consequences of deforestation and land-use change.
He explained that vegetation plays a critical role in regulating local climate through evapo-transpiration and surface reflectivity known scientifically as the albedo effect.
“The science is clear, replace vegetation with concrete and you increase heat, reduce moisture recycling and disrupt rainfall patterns.”
The Professor further warned that unchecked urbanisation could be extending the Accra–Lomé dry coastal zone westwards, citing observable changes in areas like Kasoa, where intense development is replacing natural vegetation.
While empirical data is still limited, he maintained that the visual evidence aligns with established climatological principles.
Rainfall patterns shifting
Addressing concerns about erratic rainfall and the apparent weakening of the Harmattan, Prof. Owusu clarified that Ghana is experiencing climate variability rather than a disappearance of climatic systems.
He noted that while Accra still receives roughly 800 millimetres of rainfall annually, the distribution has become increasingly erratic.
“We are getting the rain, but not at the right time,” he said, warning of implications for agriculture, water systems, and urban resilience.
Prof. Owusu called for immediate policy attention, including stricter enforcement of building regulations on slopes, protection of forest reserves such as the Achimota Forest and deliberate urban tree-planting initiatives.
He also advocated for long-term measures such as the creation of green belts around Accra and the preservation of critical ecological buffers.
“We are setting ourselves up for a serious problem, the science is clear and the time to act is now,” he said.
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The post Disaster looms on Ayi-Mensah-Aburi Mountains appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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