Achimota main drain collapsing

by Bernice Bessey
Residents of Achimota, suburb of Accra, are calling on the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and other governmental agencies, especially the City Engineers Department to rehabilitate the Achimota main drain, since the concrete walls are virtually collapsing into drain and obstructing the free flow of water.

The deplorable state of the drain, according to the some residents interviewed by the Accra File, was a result of a heavy down pour last October 25th -26th that brought activities in Accra and other parts of the country to a standstill.

One of the residents called James told the file that they had never had a problem with the drain since it was constructed, but the October downpour had really put them in fear.

He said worried them, as residents of the area, was that the drain was also posing a threat to the overpass and the railway line that links Accra, Nsawam and Tema.

The drain has it source from communities such as Taifa, Dome, Atomic, Haatso, and West Legon.

'Living in the area, as I am talking to you, is like you living on a time bomb, as a high magnitude of rain would easily wash the whole area off, because the drainage system is in a poor condition,' he said.

James, therefore, blamed the condition of the drain on the assembly and other allied departments.

'I want to appeal to the AMA that if something is not done fast, the rest of the concrete walls will also collapse into the drain, and the disaster situation in the city would worsen,' he warned.

The File, after touring the area, also noted that some residents don't have proper drainage systems.

The File further noted that some residents, traders and hawkers were dumping refuse and defecating into the drain, which does not speak well of a city claiming and wanting to become a millennium city.

The file also appeals to the AMA to rehabilitate the drain, in order to save lives and properties in the yet to come rainy season.