Residents of Blue Cresent in the Katamanso Municipality of the Greater Accra Region have raised concerns about the effects of continuous rainfall in the area which causes flooding on their roads. 

Roads according to residents, were usually covered in water, making it difficult for vehicles the ply the roads. 

That, they complained had affected livelihoods as residents were unable to access transportation to carry out their daily activities within and outside the community. 

Consequently, drivers had taken advantage of the situation to increase transport fares since they had to deal with the impact of the flooding on their vehicles. In an interview with the Spectator, a motorist, Mr Kelvin Tamakloe, lamented “It is difficult to ply the roads, and commercial drivers are affected by the flood.

We find it difficult to pass through some roads due to potholes covered by the flood.” 

He went on to highlight the damages these floods caused their motorcycles adding that commercial riders spent their profit repairing damages the floods caused their motorcycles which consequently result in the increase in fares. 

Thieves he said, also took the opportunity to snatch bikes from riders due to the slow movements caused by the bad nature of the roads. 

“Some drivers close very early to avoid being attacked at night, living commuters to their fate,” he stated. 

“Transportation issues here are troubling and causing we commercial drivers a lot, we spend so much repairing our vehicles than we save,” Mr Benjamin Kofi, a commercial driver said. 

According to him, most of his colleague drivers stopped loading to the community because of the bad nature of the road and concentrated on working in other communities. 

Madam Diana Kaba, a resident said businesses were being affected by this situation since finding a vehicle to move around had become a problem. 

“Uber and Bolt drivers do not accept any ride to the community because of the fear of damaging their vehicles, the ones that accept charges additional, most times our movements are restricted  especially when there is a torrent,” she said. 

“We also have to depend on commercial Kia drivers or private cars to convey us to our destinations when we sometimes stay out late, because most commercial drivers would not work when it’s past 7 pm, and we have also lost trust in “okada” drivers because most of them have taken advantage of the situation to steal from us, they drop you somewhere quiet and rob you of your belongings,”she stressed. 

Courtesy the benevolence of some members of the community,some of the potholes had been partially fixed with a spread of sand and stones to improve the road conditions temporarily. 

The Assemblyman for the area Mr Samuel Abbrey, had not been left out of the frustrations as he said, “ I have my two cars at the fitting shop because of the bad nature of the road, it is something I am so much aware of which also affects me but it is beyond my control, I have spoken to authorities but all to no avail.” 

According to the Assembly member, the government had turned deaf ears to their plights after several petitions and demonstrations. 

Mr Abbrey said “if I say there is hope, I will be misleading you because there is no sign of hope, what I am seeing now is that, the government is trying to punish the whole of the Katamanso municipal.

It is the central government that is supposed to work on the road but there is no sign that the road will be fixed,” he stated.   

By Francisca Kaba (UNIMAC GIJ)