By Josephine Sesay

The rainy season is here again, and so is the familiar sense of dread. But let’s be honest: the rain isn’t the real problem. We are.

Every year, we act surprised when floodwaters swallow our roads, creep into our homes, and wash away businesses. Last year alone, we watch news reports of communities submerged, families displaced, and livelihoods, shops, markets, and even school washed away. And Yet much of this destruction was preventable.

And every year, we act like it was inevitable. But it wasn’t. Most of the flooding we experience is not caused by rainfall alone, it’s caused by blocked drains, choked gutters, and poor planning.

The truth is, flooding doesn’t begin with the rain. It begins with neglect, neglected gutters, blocked drains, and piles of garbage dumped carelessly into water channels. It begins when we look away, hoping someone else will fix the problem.

Why do we wait until floodwaters rise before we remember to clean our surroundings? Why do we keep dumping plastic, food waste, and refuse into the very drains meant to protect us? It’s a reckless cycle that we refuse to break.

Let’s stop pretending that nature is to blame. It is not nature that leaves gutters clogged with trash. It is not the sky that builds on waterways or refuses to maintain drainage systems. These are choices we make, or worse, things we choose to ignore.

And the cost is staggering: destroyed homes, ruined businesses, disrupted education, waterborne diseases, and in some cases, lost lives.

If last year’s devastation taught us anything, it’s that prevention is far less costly than recovery. We owe it to ourselves, our neighbors, and future generations to treat this season with the seriousness it demands.

The question is: will we be ready? This rainy season must be different. It has to be. We must clean our gutters now, organize community efforts, pressure local authorities to clear major drainage systems, and most importantly, stop littering like we have no stake in the consequences.

Flooding is not always a fate but it’s sometimes a failure. A failure of planning, of maintenance, and of civic responsibility. And it’s one failure we can no longer afford.

Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Monday, June 2nd, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)