Ensure right material are used for storey buildings

 Dear Editor,

I write to draw to your attention to a growing phenomenon in our society and the country as a whole.

Growing up, I only saw a few storey buildings around the country. Most buildings I saw were ground structures that housed families.

I am now becoming a bit worried about the rate at which storey build­ings are being built across the country.

While putting up a storey building helps in the effective utilisation of natural resources such as land, it could also lead to the loss of lives and prop­erties if the right building materials are not used.

In Ghana, we have witnessed a number of storey buildings, including shopping malls and church buildings collapse, leading to loss of lives.

Often, investigations conducted by regulatory authorities in the building and construction sector have revealed that those buildings collapse because the right material was not used in the building process.

Although there have been calls from a section of the public for authorities to inspect storey buildings in the coun­try to prevent disasters, I think those calls have fallen on deaf ears, consid­ering the fast pace at which individuals and businesses are putting up storey buildings in the country.

Some of these storey buildings that are near completion or abandoned by its owners and cited in close proximi­ty have even developed cracks, which poses threat to the lives of those who lived around.

I, therefore, as a matter of urgency, urge the duty bearers and regulatory authorities in the building and construction sec­tor to ensure that those storey buildings are inspected and the contractors held accountable, to prevent another Melcom disaster.

Osei Kuka,

Accra