Climate-Resilient Design Principles for Urban Drainage Systems in Coastal Ghana 2003

Urban drainage systems in coastal areas of Ghana are vulnerable to climate-related hazards such as increased rainfall intensity and sea-level rise. A mixed-methods approach combining literature review, expert interviews, and scenario analysis was employed. The methodology included the development of a climate resilience index (CRI) using statistical modelling techniques such as linear regression with robust standard errors. The CRI identified that urban drainage systems in coastal areas require an increase of at least 20% capacity to mitigate projected rainfall intensities, with sea-level rise contributing up to 15% additional risk reduction. This finding is based on a proportion analysis derived from historical data and climate projections. The developed design principles are expected to enhance the resilience of urban drainage systems in coastal Ghana against future climate change impacts. Adoption of these design principles will require collaboration between engineers, policymakers, and stakeholders. Funding for infrastructure upgrades should be prioritised based on the identified priorities from the CRI. The maintenance outcome was modelled as $Y_{it}=\beta_0+\beta_1X_{it}+u_i+\varepsilon_{it}$, with robustness checked using heteroskedasticity-consistent errors.