Ayawaso Central roads to receive face-lift

Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah, the Minister of Roads and Highways, has assured the people of Ayawaso Central constituency that the government has approved the construction of five-kilometre roads in the area to enhance socio-economic activities of the people.

He said the Ministry would collaborate with the Works and Housing Ministry to construct and expand some storm drains in the area to contain the perennial flooding in the constituency. Mr Amoako-Attah gave the assurance when he led a delegation of engineers and technocrats from the Ghana Highway Authority, including the Member of Parliament (MP) of the area, Mr Henry Quartey, to assess the situation on the ground.

He expressed worry over the indiscriminate building of unauthorised structures on waterways, which often obstructed the flow of running water during the rainy season, resulting in floods and loss of lives as well as the destruction of property.

He encouraged the residents to undertake regular communal labour to desilt choked drains, and entreated them to avoid indiscriminate littering in open drains. The Minister cautioned that his outfit and other sector agencies would not hesitate to demolish structures on waterways and warned those planning to erect new ones to stop.

Mr Henry Quartey, the MP for the area and Deputy Minister of the Interior, expressed delight over the government’s assurance to commence construction work on the roads in the constituency.

He made reference to the perennial flooding in the area that caused havoc to lives and property and expressed optimism that the construction and expansion of roads and drains would better the lots of the constituents. Alhaji Seidu Salifu, a former Assembly Member of Alajo Electoral Area, told the Ghana News Agency that, the constituency was a low-lying area and, therefore, developers were required to raise their buildings to avert flooding.

He made reference to a survey conducted by a department of the University of Ghana in Alajo and its surrounding communities in 1997, which made recommendations on the best option to adopt, in order to curb the perennial flooding.

Mr Mohammed Sani, a resident of North Alajo, pointed out that, three minor drains had been constructed at Abelemkpe connecting to another minor drain at Alajo, which was the cause of the continuous flooding in the area.

He believed that the construction and expansion of new drains would ensure easy flow of running water into the Odaw River and, appealed to the Roads Minister not to pay lip service to the matter but concretise his words with action.