Kintampo Waterfall safe – Afeku

The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Catherine Afeku, has declared the Kintampo Waterfall a safe haven for tourists and revellers.

The waterfall was shut down in March 2017 after an accident that led to the death of at least 18 people.

The dead, together with some 22 others who were seriously injured, were swimming at the base of the waterfall when a tree fell on them following an earlier rainstorm in the area. The incident happened on Sunday, 19 March 2017 at about 4:30 p.m.

Fifteen of the deceased were from the Wenchi Methodist Senior High School and three from the University of Energy and Natural Resources.

The government constituted a committee which probed the disaster and made some recommendations.

Speaking on the floor of parliament on Thursday, 7 February 2019, following a presentation of the report on the disaster by the Parliamentary Committee on Trade and Industry and Tourism, Ms Afeku said all should feel safe to patronise the waterfall.

The committee recommended the following:

1. An immediate afforestation exercise to improve the diversity of the flora at the waterfall

2. Review of management structures at the facility since it emerged that loyalists of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) took over the management facility after the party won elections in 2016.

3. The introduction of a clearly defined public safety management and emergency preparedness and coordination

4. The removal of loose rocks and those in potentially precarious positions at the various stages of the falls

5. The re-engineering of the entrance from the main Techiman-Tamale Highway

Management of the Kintampo waterfalls told Class News in September 2018 that safety measures have been put in place to forestall a recurrence of the disaster.

One official said offices have been constructed for managers and tour guides at the facility.

In addition to the construction of a new modern toilet facility, the stairs at the cliff used by revellers to get to the waterfalls, have also been expanded to accommodate more people.

There is also an all-day police presence at the facility while a plan to construct a canopy walkway is also on course.