Hazards of the Densu River delta in Accra—Ghana
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Springer
Abstract
Deltas are in a constant state of fux owing to hazards such as fooding, sea erosion and
human activities. Climate change will probably increase the incidence of coastal recession
and fooding of deltas. Reducing the vulnerability of deltas/coastal zones requires comprehensive studies to plan appropriate adaptation policies. However, studies on the coastal
hazards of Densu delta have been limited to a few localities and also of short-term periods of less than a decade. Owing to uncertainties of natural hazard processes long-time
and cyclical analysis of coastal zones provides accurate data on the state of such physical
forces and their impact on the landscape and human activities if habited. Accordingly, a
holistic investigation of the hazards plaguing the deltaic coastline from a long-term perspective was undertaken to determine hazards plaguing the delta and investigate the causes
and impacts on the livelihoods of residents, undertake a longer-term shoreline change
analysis of the coastline, and have understanding on institutional management and coping
strategies of residents to the hazards. Methods adopted for the study included interviews
and focus group discussions, shoreline change analysis and field exploration. The study
revealed that the Densu delta is plagued by foods and coastal recession which are afecting
lives and properties. Several human and physical processes (e.g., sea-level rise, increasing
rainfall, encroachment of reservations) were identifed as drivers of these hazards. Government needs to resource local authorities and relevant statutory agencies to enable them
efectively perform their roles regarding development planning in the locality to curb these
hazards.
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Research Article