Every rainy season, Accra floods. Every flood season, lives are lost. And every year, politicians point fingers at “drainage challenges” while ignoring the real culprit: industrial waste.

I live at Abosey Okai, near the Odaw River. For the past two years, my family and our neighbors have watched factories upstream release bright green, purple, and black chemicals directly into the river at night. By morning, the water is discolored, fish are floating dead on the surface, and the smell is unbearable.

Children in our community have developed unexplained skin rashes. My neighbor’s three-year-old daughter, Nana Ama, was hospitalized last month with a respiratory infection that doctors could not explain. She lives 200 meters from the riverbank.

We reported this to the Environmental Protection Agency in March. They came, took samples, and promised action. Nothing happened. We reported again in August. A junior officer called me privately and said, “Some of these factories have connections. Your petition will disappear.”

We cannot wait for the next flood to claim more lives. The EPA must name the companies, publish the laboratory results, and ensure prosecutions happen.

Our Demands:

Immediate public disclosure of all EPA water quality tests from the Odaw River (2022-2025)
Identification and prosecution of all companies found violating environmental laws
Installation of real-time water quality monitors at industrial discharge points
Creation of a community-led oversight committee with independent testing authority