Residents of Adotei Ostwi Road in Dansoman are protesting the resumption of work on an abandoned drainage project that is posing a major flood risk to the community.
This project has caused safety hazards and disruptions in the daily lives of the residents for months.
“We woke up and saw the machine digging the trench. They didn’t tell us anything. Due to this, people whose cars were parked outside were forced to remain there. And those whose cars were inside could not be brought out. It inconvenienced us but we endured it with the hope that we would get a newly constructed gutter at the end of it,” narrated Dan, a business owner in the area.
Despite their cooperation, constructors halted work on trenches dug in front of the people’s homes.
Although the road was always dusty and unpaved, residents said they did not experience significant flooding until the trenches were dug and left unattended.
“The street already slopes into the main road so without the trenches, we were fine… but the trenches that they’ve dug now is causing floods. When it rains, you will see the whole place filled with water,” said Kingsley, a homeowner in the community.
The residents said they reported the issue to the municipal assembly but nothing was done.
“We were told the contract was awarded by Coastal Developers. We called the contractor and even went to his office but he was always unavailable,” they said.
Due to the long delay in completing the project, residents pooled resources to cover parts of the trenches themselves. This way they could restore access to their homes.
Each household contributed about GH₵150, with some spending up to GH₵200. They also constructed makeshift wooden bridges to allow movement across the trenches, especially for children and the elderly.
After adapting to a new normal, residents woke up on April 26 to find construction workers attempting to re-dig the sections that had been covered. Just like the first time, they gave no prior notice. There were also no building materials on-site to show that the gutter would be completed.
The residents protested the re-digging by parking their vehicles on the covered parts of the trenches. They demanded a meeting with the contractor before they would allow further work to continue.
According to one resident, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Reverend Kweku Addo has assured him that building materials would be provided and that construction of the drainage system would resume soon.
However, some residents remain skeptical, citing previous unfulfilled promises and demanding clear evidence of commitment before allowing work to proceed.
“We gave them our trust initially and they didn’t honour their word. They told us they were going to use one month to finish the project. And now we’re in the fourth month but there’s nothing.”
As of now, residents are calling for urgent intervention to ensure the project is properly completed to prevent potential disaster during the peak of the rainy season.
By Benedicta Afi Agbodzi
