Following the recent floods in Ghana which have killed at least thirty-five people, I am motivated to share with you experiences I have learnt from my father in his ‘land buying stories’.
The recent floods in the country which meteorologists say is as a result of global warming is been referred to as the most disastrous in the past few years.
Ghana is one country that experiences rainfall mostly in June and July every year. The intensity of this rainfall fluctuates between the years with some years experiencing very heavy downpours than others.
But for last year and this year, the downpour has been so intense that it has resulted in floods in most parts of the country. These floods have brought up the destruction of illegal structures mostly houses in water ways. Government is doing so in order to create a runway for the water to minimize the havoc the floods come along with.
This means you have to be careful what land you purchase and where it is situated. The points that follow will serve as an advice for you to follow when you go to purchase a land in any part of the country.
First, I will share with you what my father says will prevent you from acquiring a land that has so many court cases on it or a land that has the potential to generate disputes. When you go to purchase a land especially in the Greater Accra Region, apart from the legal documents, persuade the traditional authorities to pour libation on this particular land. The serious belief in libation by the Ga’s (the owners of land in this region) will prevent them from deceiving their gods by selling this land to a second party.
One thing that is worth noting is from which chief you purchase a land. Due to the many chieftaincy disputes and court injunctions on who sells out lands in many of these areas, you have to ask and know the right chief who can sell to you a land. There have been instances where ‘illegal’ chiefs have sold out lands to individuals and these lands get confiscated later.
Secondly, when deciding to buy a land, do that in a rainy season. So that when you go to the site and the depth of pool of water on the land is at your knee, it implies one day that is how much water will be collected in your house. If on the other hand the land quickly dries up after rainfall, you have a good land you can buy.
Thirdly, you have to look out for a type of shrub that is locally called ‘sre3’ in the Akan language. This shrub grows easily on lands that are prone to flooding. When you go to purchase a land and you see this kind of plant, you may want to consider coming back in the rainy season to confirm your suspicion.
Also very important is your financial standing. This way you can risk buying a flood prone land because you can afford to erect a foundation that will prevent water from running into your house when it rains.
You also have to consider the area or locality in which you are buying the land. When many of the buildings in this area are on water ways it means when there is a heavy downpour there will not be a passage way for the water to escape hence the whole place will get flooded.
Lastly and importantly, after doing all these background checks contact the Lands Commission or any Government Agency in the locality that is responsible for lands to seek more official advice on the land you want to purchase,
Thank you for reading and have a nice land buying experience.