The Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Awatey, has insisted that construction works at the China Mall site must remain on hold until the developers comply with all recommendations attached to the permit granted for the project.
She gave the directive while briefing the media after a closed-door meeting involving the Regional Security Council, key stakeholders and the investors.
The stakeholders’ meeting followed growing concerns over recurrent flooding in communities surrounding the China Mall construction site, particularly within the Kenkey Factory enclave in Koforidua, as well as the investors’ failure to construct the agreed drainage systems.
Residents have blamed the flooding on the ongoing construction works, saying the situation has destroyed property and posed a serious threat to lives.
Technical experts at the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly maintained th at the conditions and recommendations that informed the approval of the project remain the blueprint for its implementation.
Head of Physical Planning at the Assembly, Ophelia Asare, read out the recommendations contained in the project’s working document.
“When they brought their permit, they were supposed to comply with these recommendations. Their consultant is Engineer Mark Nyamekye. The main stream along the northern and western edges of the project site, which also serves as the primary storm drain, must be developed into a rectangular concrete-lined channel. The channel must have a depth of two metres and a width of 2.6 metres, with provision made for dry weather flow.
The determined outflow for the proposed rectangular drain is an established invert level of 0.4 metres above the existing culvert invert level. Two 1,200 millimetre diameter concrete pipes, with specifications that meet the Ministry of Roads and Highways standards, have been recommended to carry the runoff discharge across the proposed entrance to the shopping mall. The recommended invert level of the outflow of these concrete pipes shall range between 0.3 metres and 0.4 metres above the constructed invert level of the mall.”
She added, “It is recommended that the existing culvert beneath the N4 Highway be replaced with two 1,500 millimetre diameter pipe culverts to cater for the proposed development. It is also recommended that the existing concrete box culvert located immediately upstream and along the mainstream of the project site be replaced with a two metre by two metre concrete box culvert that meets Roads and Highways apecifications.
The recommended finished levels of the shopping mall compound must be above the top edges of the constructed drains to aid the flow of surface runoff into the drains. The proposed filling and subsequent finished levels may cause nearby properties to become submerged.
It is therefore recommended that appropriate safety measures be taken to avoid damage to surrounding properties. Lining the drains with concrete would prevent erosion. Periodic maintenance of the drains and culverts should also be carried out at least once every week.”
Head of Works at the Assembly, Engineer Richard Atta Yawson, assured residents of continuous supervision and monitoring to ensure strict adherence to the approved recommendations.
“Without the drainage plan, they cannot continue working at the site. We want them to adhere to the drainage plans so that we will not continue having issues with flooding. We are undertaking continuous supervision and monitoring to ensure the proper implementation of whatever is contained in the recommended report.”
Eastern Regional Minister Rita Akosua Awatey acknowledged the importance of the investment and its potential benefits to the region.
However, she maintained that the developers must fully comply with the drainage report recommendations before construction works can resume.
“We appreciate the efforts of Joy Industries and the investors for bringing this project here. But as much as we acknowledge that, it cannot be to the detriment of residents who are affected by flooding.”
“Permits were granted based on the recommendations contained in the drainage report prepared by their consultant. We realised that the consultant recommended the construction of new culverts to ensure residents have a safe environment.
However, months later, Joy Industries and the investors continued with the construction. The RCC, led by Urban Roads and all stakeholders, directed that they stop work, but they defied that directive. Today, we are saying that our investors should put construction of the mall on hold until the recommendations are fully implemented.” The Regional Minister ordered
The investors declined to comment on the directives issued at the meeting.
By Yvonne Neequaye
