Correspondence from Eastern Region

Some residents staying along the Adukrom-Aseseeso road in the Okere Distirct of the Eastern Region have expressed concern that they were exposed to health hazards following the generation of dust as a result of rehabilitation works being undertaken on the road.

Parts of the Adukrom-Mampong road have been entirely scrapped for the spreading of new asphalt even though residents and drivers say the road was in near perfect shape but for a “few” potholes.

Three months on, works are yet to start on the project, leaving the residents to their fate.

Works on the Aseseeso stretch which is part of ongoing works on the Koforidua-Adukrom-Somanya road is also exposing the residents to endless dust.

Though the roads are supposed to be watered regularly to assuage the plight of the people, the residents say this is no longer done.

The nature of the dusty road now is making life unbearable for residents with the public and road users becoming at risk of respiratory diseases.

The residents say shop owners were being compelled to close down their shops because selling by the roadside has become risky to both sellers and buyers.

A few who brace through the heavily- polluted environment are aware of the consequences but explain they have run out of options.

A common scene to behold is dusty buildings, vehicles and even crops as many people resort to the use of nose masks to prevent inhaling the dust.

A barber who gave his name as Bongo has his shop located by the dusty Adukrom-Akropong road. Complaining about the problem, in an interview with GhanaWeb, he said, “it’s a big problem for those of us by the roadside. We suffer from catarrh and we can’t stand it. We’re appealing to the authorities to come and address this problem for us.”



He added that though the contractor used to water the road, this has ceased without any explanation.

54-year-old Madam Abena runs a table top sewing business at Aseseeso. Wearing a nose mask to protect herself from the dust, she fears she might nevertheless soon develop a dust-induced infection if nothing was done about the situation.

Motorists, especially commercial drivers who ply the route have their share in the danger. One of them, a taxi driver who plies the Adukrom-Mampong road, Seth Opare told GhanaWeb that the situation compels drivers to send their vehicles for servicing and washing on regular basis at high cost as a result of the bumpy and dusty nature of the road.

Assembly man for Methodist Electoral Area, Hon Ebenezer Obiri Asare says he raised the motion on the issue in the last Assembly sitting and though assurances were given to water the roads regularly, nothing has been done.

Describing the state of the problem, the Assemblyman said, “because we are in the harmattan season, we don’t have torrential rain and this has caused us more dust leaving most of the residents at risk of cold and businesses are affected.”

The affected are thus calling on the government to prevail on the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), to ensure that the contractors working on the roads executed the projects such that it did not affect their health.

They are also calling on the contractors to water the road daily to reduce the volume of dust on the roads.