Community Based Initiatives and Strategies for Adapting to Annual Floods along The Black and White and Volta Rivers in the Central Gonja District of Northern Region, Ghana

Abstract

Climate change induced floods have become a regular phenomenon in many parts of the world including Ghana, causing loss of human life and property. This paper investigated how  communities along the Black and White Volta Rivers in the Central Gonja district of the Northern region of Ghana adapt to the phenomenon and to assist them with strategies to enhance their coping strategies and resilience levels. One hundred (100) respondents, 10 each from 5 communities along the White and Black Volta rivers were randomly selected and interviewed on their knowledge of and how they respond to the phenomenon. Key informant interviews were also held with key institutions of the district. The results revealed that the majority of the members of the communities rely on indigenous early warning systems for alerts on impending floods. Their coping strategies are varied and their resilience levels are very low.   The paper therefore, recommends among other things that the capacity of communities be built on how to complement the indigenous knowledge system with scientific methods for early warning and preparedness in order to boost their resilience.

Keywords: Climate Change, Floods, White & Black Volta Rivers, Resilience.