A collapsed footbridge serving pupils, cocoa and other crop farmers, market women and residents at Torgodo, Azza and Adibordornya, in the Yilo Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region has endangered lives of people in the communities.
School children are no longer able to cross to school, farmers cannot go to their farms and market women don’t go to markets anytime it rains.
This is because people in the farming communities near Labolabo, Namusi, Sojonu, Abrewanko, all in the Abrewanko Electoral Area in the Yilo Krobo Municipality always cross the ‘Adibordor’ stream for their daily activities.
Mr. Sampson Tettey, the Assembly Member for the Abrewanko electoral area told 3news in an interview during a visit to the area that people cannot also access healthcare services at the Labolabo Clinic when it rains because of the “death trap”.
Mr. Tettey is therefore pleading with government and the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly to urgently help them get a concrete bridge to save lives of the people, saying, “the situation is more dangerous”.
He said the collapsed bridge has cut off communities from several essential services and economic opportunities for many years now and is causing many disruptions to daily life and works of people in the area.
Mr. Tettey explained with worry that “a Class Four pupil crossing from school fell into it and died in 2023”, adding that there were high rate of post-harvest loses in the area because farmers struggle to cross the streams with their farm produce to the market.
Other children who desire to attend school are forced to travel so many miles through other dangerous routes to reach classrooms, placing their safety and education at risks.
He added that cocoa buyers are recording losses and facing difficulties reaching out to farmers, which is negatively affecting the livelihoods of the people and heightening frustrations.
According to Mr. Tettey, there was a concrete bridge under construction seven years ago, near completion, but was abandoned, and called for completion to salvage the situation.
In a further interview, some farmers and community leaders said the collapsed bridge was affecting the entire socio-economic well-being of residents in the area for some years now.
The Dadematse (Sub-Chief) of the Area, Nene Tettey Seth emphasized “the collapsed bridge is affecting all aspects of daily lives, from education to trade to healthcare access.
He pleaded with the government and Mr. Albert Nyakotey, the Member of Parliament for the Yilo Krobo area for immediate intervention to restore safety of particularly their children.
A class five student, Narh, said during raining season, they could stay home for about one month before going to school, hence appealed to President John Mahama to help them with bridge.
