Traders in the Asutifi District in Brong Ahafo Region have appealed to government to construct bigger bridges over rivers in communities that connect to Kenyasi, the district capital, to facilitate socio-economic activities.

The traders lamented that vehicles are not able to cross bridges over rivers at Hwidiem, Akyerensua and Ntotroso whenever it rains heavily thereby affecting their operations.

Madam Ama Kyeremaa, a trader, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the situation affected Thursday market day activities at Kenyasi, as traders hired people to carry their goods across the bridges at high cost.

She said the erection of structures in River Tano by operators of illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey,’ has caused the river to over flow it banks and bridge, and expressed the fear that Kenyasi might one day be “swallowed up by a flood”.

Madam Kyeremaa said the District Assembly had been alerted about the situation “but the assembly members only come to the scene to take pictures and no concrete action is taken”.

She said officials of the Assembly claimed that the rehabilitation of the bridge as well as some roads in the community has been awarded to a contractor but no work is being done.

At Hwidiem, the GNA saw traders and school children being conveyed by a tractor to cross the bridge whilst an articulator truck was also pulling some vehicles from water.

Some youth took advantage of the situation and charged GH?2.00 each to carry people and their goods across the bridge, and others were being conveyed across the bridge by a vehicle belonging to Newmont Ghana Gold limited.

Mourners traveling to Ntotroso for a funeral parked their private cars, and rented urvan buses to carry them across the bridge linking Akyerensua and Ntotroso.**