Residents of Kologo in the Upper East Region have made a passionate appeal to government to as a matter of urgency, construct additional culverts on portions of the Navrongo- Kologo-Naaga road to prevent the incidence of flooding in the wet season.
The residents say additional culverts, especially at Awinchokum and near the Tindaango Dam, would help prevent rainwater from building up to destroy farms and hinder the transportation of people and goods.
The residents made the call when GhanaWeb’s Senyalah Castro visited flood-prone sections of the road which get completely submerged whenever there are heavy rains, to see the impact the few recent rainfalls in the area have had on it as the rainy season begins.
Floodwaters usually cut off the areas from the rest of the municipality in the rainy season, making accessibility to communities and farms difficult.
Residents say the perennial flooding is due to the deplorable nature of the road which does not have drains and enough culverts.
They said though reports are that the road has been given out to contractors for the commencement of work, nothing of such is seen.
The visit by GhanaWeb revealed how the recent rains have washed away the shoulders of the road, making it thinner and difficult to ply. Deep cavities have also been left behind by the water.
Residents and other road users expressed their tiredness in the several promises from governments, vowing to boycott elections if priority is not given the road project.
A tricycle transport operator, who identified himself as Tompo, recounted how he was unable to do business last year when the road was buried in deep waters. He said aside the issue of flooding, the bad nature of the road was also impacting negatively on his business.
“As for this area, it rains here a lot in the rainy season. It can rain for two days nonstop to the extent that you can’t even see the road to travel on to Navrongo Town. And when it rains heavily, it takes us about a month or two before we can go to the market. We even sometimes find it difficult to go to town to buy food ingredients”.
“The contractor that they said he has come we haven’t seen him. President Akufo Addo came to Navrongo before we celebrated Christmas last year and assured us that work on the road will begin in three months’ time but up to date, we haven’t seen anything. So, we are appealing to government to urgently construct the bridges and the road. Even if government can’t construct the road, for now, they should build the bridges”. The resident said in Twi.
“We always find it difficult to cross this road when it rains because it is always flooded”. A student added.
Similar calls for the construction of the road to alleviate the suffering of residents has been made by the Paramount Chiefs of the Kologo and Naaga Traditional Areas.
During the celebration of the Yesiga festival earlier this year, the Kologo Naba, Clifford Abagna Asobayire V reiterated his appeal to government, stating that the completion would open the area to businesses and reduce dust-related diseases among his people.
