LANDSLIDES: Run for your life


       What is a landslide?  A landslide or a landslip, according to Merriam-Webster, can be defined as" a large mass of rocks and earth that suddenly and quickly moves down the side of a mountain or hill" They result from the failure of the materials which make up the hill slope and are driven by the force of gravity.  In addition, they can happen at any time when the slope becomes unstable but mostly are triggered by hazardous events such earthquakes, erosion, groundwater, volcano eruptions.  Moreover they can be aggravated by human activity like deforestation, construction, and vibrations from machinery.
        In Ghana, there have been quite a few devastating landslides caused by different hazards, but mostly by flooding (groundwater pressure acting to destabilize the slope).  It is just a matter of heavy rains falling on the city for hours especially during the rain season to hastily precipitate the movement of rocks and debris downward. And heaven forbid if the slope is relatively close to the populated areas, which can cause severe loss of human lives.  On that note, there has been news (Ghana Star News) of a recent aftermath of a landslide that has caused subsequent damage to both lives and infrastructures.  It has been reported that a landslide happened at Koforidua-Aboabo, a mountainous rural place in Accra preceded by floods in the Eastern region.  The landslide has seen two houses collapsed and the flooding left fifteen houses totally crushed.  According to the News, this is the "second time where the regional capital has been hit with twin disaster: flood and landslide." (Ghana News).  Although there are many types of landslides (falling, sliding, slumping...), this one was said to be carrying rocks, which could be categorized as slumping.  At a distance of 6 kilometers, rocks flew "from the mountains to farms to the community" destroying cocoa farms and food crops.  By providence, no lives were claimed.  The tenants of one of the houses that were nowhere to be recovered had left for church that day.  (You should never miss church then, you never know) and the family of the other house were graciously rescued.  Good news, right?  I might say so myself.  
       In the wake of this incident that has left residents perplexed and devastated, the immediate response was to get everyone to a safer place  So relocation  and assistance have to take place first and foremost. But the Eastern regional committee was meeting at a later date with the geological team for advice for those living on the slopes of the mountains.  As for Koforidua's residents, they were temporarily relocated and provided assistance until further investigation.  The Easter Regional Minister has stopped all project on wetlands and waterways, while drains in the municipality are expected to be dredged as part of short-term measures.  Also presently, engineering redesigning of parts of the community is being considered for long-term goals.
       While no one can predict what nature will do or not, it is always imperative to plan as possible as much as one can.  In this case, education is a major key of the things to do before, during, and after a landslide.  Moreover, building house on mountains slopes must be fervently discouraged and implemented with abiding laws for citizens because we already know that one valid reason of landslide happening is the activity of humans in that area. 



Works Cited:
https://www.ghanastar.com/news/landslide-floods-collapse-17-buildings-in-eastern-region/