A frail wooden bridge that lay across a gaping drain linking residents of Adome in the Eastern Region to a community place of convenience and a basic school could collapse any time soon if immediate steps are not taken to replace it.
The old structure was put up by the community three years ago to facilitate movement of residents from one part of the community to the other but it now bears an unseen warning – ‘Weak Bridge’ – boldly displayed on either of its ends.
Its condition has so deteriorated it is an imminent threat to life and property as users, with bated breadth, traverse its length daily across the deep galley.
The residents say despite persistent appeals to the Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly to change the bridge, nothing has been done, exposing them to the dangers. “They have been promising us that they’ll come [but] up till now [they have not come] and people are falling in this huge gutter,” an elderly man who gave his name as Richard Narh complained.
Asked what efforts the community itself was putting in place to ensure that the bridge is fixed, Mr. Narh said though they tried raising funds to address the problem, they could not raise enough as residents could not contribute much.
A recent trip undertaken by GhanaWeb to the site left its Eastern Regional Correspondent bewildered.
Residents say since its construction, the bridge has seen no major rehabilitation works.
The narrow structure bounded together with nails sits on either side of the yawning divide. It’s however obvious that it wouldn’t be long before it caves in as it trembles with every step across it.
Obviously left with no alternative, residents including the aged, young, children and pupils of nearby Foreman Memorial Presby School are forced to use the facility on a daily basis, exposing them to the naked, visible dangers.
A 9-year-old girl crossing told me, “It is scary using the bridge”.
Not all can safely cross the bridge as those who are unable to, are helped by others around to do so.
Mable Tetteh is one of the residents who consistently requires assistance to cross the galley. This correspondent observed as she was helped to cross over to the other side. Catching up with her, she said she can’t cross if she is not aided. “I’m unable to walk across it unless I’m helped,” she said, adding that their children were also at risk crossing over to school on a daily basis.
She appealed to the government to come on board and help them.
A student of the nearby Foreman school said she is scared of walking over the structure and therefore forced to resort to an alternative but long route to school. She said, “I feel like falling into the gutter [anytime I use the structure] so I stopped passing here so I use a different route.”
She ended with an appeal to authorities to help in providing a new bridge for the community.
Assembly Member for the Odumase-South Electoral Area and Presiding Member of the Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly, Honourable Kofi Ayerh Zhando when contacted by GhanaWeb for his response questioned the contributions of the community towards development in the area.
He asked what revenue accrued from the tolls charged at the Adome community toilet are used for, adding that such revenue could be channeled into building a bridge. “What do they use the revenue generated from the toilet for? Access to the toilet facility is not free [so] if they are charging what are they using the money for? They should be responsible towards the community,” he noted.
He further quizzed if members of the community including operators of commercial entities and households honour their revenue and property rate obligations to the local Assembly. “Those who sell there, do they pay monies to the Assembly? If they are looking for the Assembly to support them, what monies do they expect the Assembly to use to come and do the things for them? How many of the houses there pay property rates to the Assembly?” Zhando quizzed.
