Dear Sir,

Please help Dome-Kwabenya Residents.

I am appealing on behalf of the residents of Dome-Kwabenya residents living in the Atomic Down area who have been suffering due to diverted traffic for the last 6 months.

In April 2014, the culvert near the Dome-Kwabenya round about, close to the Goil Service station collapsed. Following this, traffic coming from Dome to Kwabenya has been forced to divert into residential areas from about 1 mile before the bridge. It took about 6 weeks before anything was done to start repairs. It is four months now since replacement work started. As at the time of putting together this letter, this small culvert has still not been completed. This shows how inefficient and uncaring our system is. During this time, the residents in the affected areas have been subjected to noise, pollution, dust and general discomfort. The gravel roads in our area have been subjected to heavy traffic from motor bikes to articulator trucks. Walls have been broken, sometimes knocked down. These roads have become mud-pits, literally, with cars, buses and trucks getting stuck on a daily basis. The road were never meant for such constant and heavy traffic. The dust in our homes is beyond imagination. For those living close to the affected roads, it has become almost impossible to clean their homes. The Assemblies of God, Later rain temple church near to one of the roads has had to cover all its newly installed PVC windows and doors in plastic sheathing because of dust. A lot of houses near to roads have had to resort to similar measures. On a recent return home after a holiday for about a month, our house which is three plots away from one of such road had the bedrooms covered in so much dust that all rooms in the eastern side could not be used for about 2 days. The dust was unbelievable. The dust is not just taking a toll on our homes; our children are getting sick and are venerable to developing chest diseases like asthma. All these things are happening when we have an elected MP, Adjoa Safo, and a District Chief Executive in place. What are these political figures there for? Are they not supposed to take the welfare of the people seriously? The Department of Urban roads has also got officials who are in charge of this project. What are the department officials doing? This is very bad for our health and welfare and something needs to be done about it. It must also be impacting negatively on economic activity in the area as it takes much longer for people and goods to move so slowly through these complex routes in the residential areas. The traders on the main road are also suffering because of the diversions. The traffic never stops. It is however, worse from about 6 a.m to 12 a.m. and from 4p.m to 11p.m. Tro-tros are always breaking down and making things worse. Please, please, complete this bridge and bring the nightmare to an end.

From Nasir Mohamed Dome-Kwabenya Resident.