The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and the Asokwa Municipal Assembly have started desilting chocked drains at Asokwa to allow easy water flow.
Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, announced the exercise will take two weeks to complete and requires significant funding.
The decision to desilt the drain follows a series of reports by JoyNews and Adom TV which prompted the Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene and officials of the two local assemblies to visit the site and begin the clearing of filth.
Traversing the Asokwa overpass to the Ahodwo roundabout in Kumasi, the pile of garbage, mostly plastic waste, rested in and along the Subin River, once a vital water source flowing through Kumasi.
The Kumasi Mayor attributed the choking of the drain to the bad attitude of some residents who dump refuse and plastic waste into the gutters, especially during the rainy season.
“Some people’s bad attitude of dumping plastic waste into the gutters is forcing us to spend huge sums of money that could be used on other projects to clear this. Let’s change our attitude as Ghanaians,” he stated.
He added that the desilting exercise is the first step towards beautifying the city, and they will implement technical remedial measures to prevent future occurrences.
“According to our technical engineers, the engineering method to stop people from dumping plastic waste into the drain was not implemented during its construction, so we’re coming to do that,” he said.
The Asokwa MCE, Amo Kamel, also urged residents to stop throwing rubbish into the drains, noting that those who do so often blame the government for negligence.
Four excavators are currently on site, and the desilting exercise is expected to be completed within two weeks.
Source: Joseph Obeng