The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) with the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) as well as the Ghana police service are advising commuters from Twifo Praso to Cape Coast to exercise restraint as they are working around the clock to get the damaged Twifo-Jukwa bridge fixed.
Heavy downpour on Friday, June 17, 2022 saw some part of the bridge washed away leaving a big gap in the road making it unmotorable.
The washout is at a 22m span bridge at ch 20+000 at Jukwa.
In a press release issued on Saturday, June 18, 2022, the GHA said Motorists and commuters heading towards Cape Coast from Twifo or otherwise are advised to use alternative routes such as Cape Coast-Yamoransa (N1)-Assin Fosu-Twifo Praso (N81) roads.
It further said the traffic has been diverted or reversed, and no motorists are currently stranded at the site with the help of announcements made by residents in the nearby communities.
Read Also: $5 billion needed to solve Ghana’s flooding issues – Asenso-Boakye
Checks by ATL FM NEWS in Jukwa indicates that most of the communities were flooded as well with the Exim Bank CEO’s car being washed away by the flood.
According to residents, though the rains have subsided, portions of the bridge are beginning to fall off due to the intensity of the gushing water.
“This is a disheartening issue where some buildings are in the waterways which are causing this problems,” a resident said.
Relatedly, residents of some parts of Elmina, Ankaful, Ntranoa, other places are calling for help since the overflow of the Kakum River is affecting them
They say they had to keep vigil from Friday night to protect their lives and properties.
Roads leading to Ankaful and Ntranoa have been taken over by the floods and houses submerged in the water.
However, a prison officer who was on duty Saturday morning has been reported missing amidst speculations that he has been swept away by the floods
Meanwhile, some residents of Mennyamennwu, Abura, Pedu and Moree D/A Primary affected by the heavy down pour on Wednesday have called on stakeholders to help construct proper and larger drainage systems to help reduce flooding in the affected areas.
ATL FM NEWS, following up on the incident of flooding on Wednesday gathered that chocked gutters and smaller drainage systems were the causes of flooding in these affected areas.
The assembly member for Akyim Electoral area, Ebow Halm hinted in an interview with ATL FM NEWS that members of his electoral area will schedule a meeting on Sunday to see the way forward in addressing such occurrences.
“So the community has to meet and decide the way forward, the best way is to have big drains so that the water will find its way through. So we will meet on Sunday and decide on what to do and write to the assembly to see the way forward.”
A concerned resident who was affected also appealed to government and other stakeholders to help in preventing such issues.
He said, “there is no gutter at this side of the road so when it rains all the rains from Ghana National College and the hills floods the road and destroy properties, so this is the main reason why we experienced this flood either than that if gutters were at the other side of the road it would not have caused this havoc. So the walls of the houses around were broken because of improper drainage systems. We therefore appeal to the government to come to our aid to help construct bigger drainage systems.”
Some residents in the affected areas lost their valuables worth thousands of cedis to the flood on Wednesday.
SOURCE: ANTHONY SASU AYISADU/RICHARD OSEI KORANKYE/ATLFMNEWS
