TETREFU, THE HANGING COMMUNITY
Residents
of Tetrefu in the Bosomtwe district of Ashanti have decried the havoc being
caused to the community and their houses in particular by erosion. A visit by
Ashanti Today showed that many of the houses risk collapsing due to the
damage caused by soil erosion as a result of the lack of proper settlement
planning.
Years of inaction by the people and their leaders has led to the
collapse of some of the houses with many others almost hanging since their
foundations have been washed away by rain water runoff. The streets and the
main road of the community are also fast deteriorating as deep gulleys have
developed along the shoulders and in some cases, deep ditches created creating
death traps for especially children and the aged.
Workers were seen either pulling down some of the weakened sandcrite houses or rebuilding to avoid same from collapsing on people with others re-building destroyed properties.
One of the lands whose house is virtually hanging after its foundation has been badly exposed by the erosion, Maxwell Oduro, expressed fear that should the rains continue to fall, the six-bedroom house could totally collapse. He said however, that he has no funds for a comprehensive renovation.
Another land, Yaw Badu, whose house was been pulled down by workers at the time of the visit, said he and the tenants have relocated to safety to avoid the looming danger posed by the structure.
The Assemblyman for Tetrefu-Homabenase, Sampson Kwakye, acknowledged the seriousness of the havoc wreaked by erosion to the town and said the Bosomtwe District Assembly has already been informed about the situation to assist in finding a lasting solution to stop further destruction to the road and houses. 'When i assumed my role, i have taken some steps to resolve the problem. Recently, I organize the youth to fill some of the potholes created on the road', Mr. Kwakye noted.
A Civil Engineer, Richard Nsiah, attributed the problem to improper settlement planning of the town as well as the lack of drainage systems to direct water runoff from homes. Mr. Nsiah suggested that storm drains and side tunnels be constructed along the main road and streets of the town to properly channel the water run-off. 'Landlords who can afford can renovate their houses with durable structures like concrete pillars', the Engineer advised.
Workers were seen either pulling down some of the weakened sandcrite houses or rebuilding to avoid same from collapsing on people with others re-building destroyed properties.
One of the lands whose house is virtually hanging after its foundation has been badly exposed by the erosion, Maxwell Oduro, expressed fear that should the rains continue to fall, the six-bedroom house could totally collapse. He said however, that he has no funds for a comprehensive renovation.
Another land, Yaw Badu, whose house was been pulled down by workers at the time of the visit, said he and the tenants have relocated to safety to avoid the looming danger posed by the structure.
The Assemblyman for Tetrefu-Homabenase, Sampson Kwakye, acknowledged the seriousness of the havoc wreaked by erosion to the town and said the Bosomtwe District Assembly has already been informed about the situation to assist in finding a lasting solution to stop further destruction to the road and houses. 'When i assumed my role, i have taken some steps to resolve the problem. Recently, I organize the youth to fill some of the potholes created on the road', Mr. Kwakye noted.
A Civil Engineer, Richard Nsiah, attributed the problem to improper settlement planning of the town as well as the lack of drainage systems to direct water runoff from homes. Mr. Nsiah suggested that storm drains and side tunnels be constructed along the main road and streets of the town to properly channel the water run-off. 'Landlords who can afford can renovate their houses with durable structures like concrete pillars', the Engineer advised.
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