Dust choking Tarkwa residents

Tarkwa, Oct. 26, GNA - Residents of Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Area have noted with concern, the increasing dust emissions from the recently filled potholes, which is chocking and making them uncomfortable. Eleven days after a bituminous substance was spread on the roads, drivers and residents of the Tarkwa township heaved a sigh of relief, but the dust emissions being experienced was creating discomfort among them.

The Police, pedestrians, shop owners, drivers and school children, have no option than to continually, inhale the dust over the past 11 days.

Mr Kwasi Obuor, a trader by the Tarkwa Post office, said the dust was too much and had to continuously clean his products and goods to reduce the dust accumulation.

He suggested that the assembly should get a water tanker to sprinkle water on the roads on a daily basis to minimize the dust. Mr Obuor said the continual inhalation of dust could lead to upper respiratory tract infections, coughs and other diseases. Ghana News Agency (GNA) investigations along the roads revealed that, to remedy the situation, some store and shop owners have used concrete blocks to block parts of the road whiles others occasionally pour water on the road to minimize the dust.

It would be recalled that on October0 10 this year, the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal Assembly with the assistance of some mining companies, started filling the pot holes, which had made driving along the town roads difficult, which affects vehicles, and also dangerous driving among others.

At the time of filling this report, most of the gutters within the municipality was filled wi th the bituminous substance, affecting the free flow of waste water.

Mr Emmanuel Boham, a commercial driver commended the municipal assembly for promptly responding to the demands of the drivers, by filling the potholes, but urged them to as a matter of urgency sprinkle water on the roads. Miss Barbara Baffoe, the Public Relations Officer of the assembly in an interview on Monday said the filling of the pot holes were only a temporary measure.

She said the assembly had provided an office and residential accommodation for the urban roads department to occupy and operate within the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality.

Ms Baffoe said the dust pollution has been reported to the assembly and it was negotiating with the Ghana Water Company Limited to sprinkle water on the road to reduce the dust.

"In the meantime, an emergency Road Taskforce from the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) have arrived in the Tarkwa township, with their equipment, to begin work on the roads" she stressed. Ms Baffoe noted that, t ads department has still not assumed duty.