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The actions of a landlady at Dome Born Again, a community at Dome, Accra, has led to the obstruction of some portions of the road at Dome Junction that connects to Taifa.
Madam Gloria Mensah has blocked an inlet she claims some residents of the area have connected to her gutter, which floods her house anytime there is a downpour.
The situation has led to some portions of the road being filled with stagnant water, which has rendered the road impassable for both commuters and drivers.
The Mirror puts its spotlight on the about One kilometre road that stretches from Dome Junction to Taifa, and serves as one of the main routes that connects the Dome town.
The Mirror also looks at how the situation created is causing some sanitation challenges to the residents.
The name ‘born again’ was derived from the name of a branch of the Church of Pentecost in the area — Born Again Assembly.
Breeding mosquitoes
When The Mirror visited the area, it observed that Madam Mensah has barricaded a portion of her gutter with blocks, making it impossible for any drainage from nearby to enter, causing water to spill onto the main road.
Some residents, who spoke to The Mirror, said the actions of the landlady over the past two months were not only leading to strong stench in the area, but also breeding mosquitoes, thereby making life in the area uncomfortable for them.
“How can one person cause the whole community this trouble?” A concerned resident asked, and noted that before one can get to the junction, one has to take a detour before getting there. Meanwhile, the road was constructed to resolve that problem.
Daavi, a foodstuff seller in a kiosk near the pool of stagnant water, narrating her ordeal said: “Hmm, I am losing my customers, because of this water here, people no longer pass through, and that is affecting my business.”
When asked what they were doing about the situation as residents, one of them, Mr Eddy Prempeh, told this reporter that they had decided to construct a storm drain to bring an end to the problem, “but the landlady said it would affect her since it is at the back of her house. So we’re helpless, just waiting for the assembly to take the necessary action.”
Not at fault
Reacting to the story, Madam Mensah said she was not at fault in anyway.
According to her, she had reported the issue to both the Zonal Council in the area and the Ga East Municipal Assembly (GEMA) which the community falls under, but she was told to take any action that would be in her interest.
“I am not at fault, I constructed a small gutter for my bath, but I realised people from outside my house were connecting their gutter to mine, which caused flooding in my house anytime it rained.
“So I reported it to the relevant authorities, but they also asked me to do what I deem fit to save my household and properties, and that is what I have done,” she said.
Situation beyond zonal council
The Assemblyman for the area, Mr Ebenezer Kwao, said the case was beyond the zonal council, noting that the GEMA was handling the situation.
Mr Kwao indicated that the Department of Feeder Roads and Town and Country Planning had all come to see the problem, and had directed some engineers to come and construct a storm drain.
Reaction from GEMA
The Coordinating Director of the GEMA, Mr Mattew Tay, said the assembly was working on the problem, and urged the residents to exercise patience.
For his part, the municipal engineer, Mr Peter Baah Lanor, said the engineers had already served notice to residents whose properties were on the road to vacate because they would all be demolished to pave way for a bigger project including a storm drain on that stretch of road.
By : Graphic Online
