Correspondence from Upper East:
Rains for this year’s wet season in Northern Ghana are yet to start pouring overwhelmingly. Even though there have been a few rains announcing the beginning of the wet season, the peak of heavy downpours is yet to come.
But the few that have poured already have announced the havoc they have in store for the part of the country if preparations are not put in place to receive them.
Already, there been recorded damages to schools, roads, houses and health centres in some communities in the Upper East Region. Several schools in the Kassena-Nankana West and Builsa South Districts notably; Boania, Wupiensa and Tuedema Primary Schools and Boania, Bachonsa and Doninga Junior High Schools, have been destroyed by this season’s first rains.
The damages are negatively impacting the academic activities of the schools which are partially operating, closed down or seeking space in makeshift structures. In communities such as Boania, Yidania, Bachonsa etc. where some houses were damaged, families are having a tough time repairing them.
One of such important amenities that has not been spared the havoc of the rains is the Chiana- Tumu road. This major highway links the Upper East Region through Kassena-Nankana to Tumu and the rest of the Upper West Region.
A single heavy rainfall last week has almost washed off portions of a stretch of it at Yidania. The rain created deep gullies on the shoulders of the road which are gradually spreading to the rest of it.
Aside from the imminent truncation, the rain has further deteriorated the ‘pool-size’ potholes that have riddled the road. Traveling on the road has become a nightmare. A journey of at least 1 hour from Chuchuliga to Katiu now takes more time to cover due to its bad nature.
Residents and road users, who have expressed unhappiness at the bad state of the highway say its life-threatening. They are calling on the authorities to pay serious attention to its completion.
Speaking with GhanaWeb’s Senyalah Castro, residents and road users said apart from the numerous lives that have been lost through accidents on that road, the deplorable nature of it was affecting their commercial activities.
Ayamga Simon, a trader who plies the stretch on his motor tricycle to engage in his charcoal business, explained that he has had several accidents on it due to the deplorability which was not favourable for his three-wheeled vehicle.
“Most times I have accidents due to the potholes and the slopes. Sometimes when you load and you are moving and you are not careful, it [motor tricycle] will balance to one side and this motorking too [ motor tricycle] is not something that is having four legs [wheels]. So, when one of the legs [wheels] just balance, you must fall”.
Pointing at the spot where the interview was being conducted, he added, “recently, I had accident just here- where we are standing”.
He said the accidents he has experienced on the road are events he did not derive happiness from and wished the government could construct the road or at least do some improvement to it.
Gilbert Zimtam, a resident was of the view that the road has been abandoned. He explained that even though there have been several reports that the road has been given out on contract, he was yet to see the contractor on site.
He said the handling of the issue of the construction of that road by people in authority demonstrated that they did not care about the lives of the people and how people died through accident there. He however appealed to authorities to give the Chiana-Tumu road some priority.
Amisum Ignatius who also lamented the impact of the bad road on his work in the area did not only call for its improvement but appealed to authorities to provide streetlights to make the road safe to use at night.
“they should do something about it so that we can go to work. The road is not good and also doesn’t have light. So, traveling in the night is bad. The government should do something about it”.
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