News
Garden City now ‘city of stores’
Kumasi, once the Garden City of Ghana, is now the city of stores.
Stores continue to spring up at any available spaces and corners of the metropolis either by the Metropolitan Assembly, a private contractor or individuals, or some prominent citizens some of whom do not have building permits.
Old buildings at Adum, the hub of business, and Dr Mensah, among other areas are being developed into three, four and five storey building, all in the name of stores.
The development is so intense that even school compounds are being turned into stores as in the case of Asem Boys’ School, in Kumasi.
It would interest one the more to know that the Subin drainage, which stretches through the Railway Corporation at Kejetia, has stores constructed on it.
The fact is, there is no provision of toilet or urinal facilities in these stores which has resulted in the store owners using the already choked gutters by the streets as the dumping ground of urine and other faecal matter.
Almost all the stores at Adum, the hub of business, do not have a place of convenience and the store owners use the gutters thus making it unpleasant walking through the streets especially on a sunny day, as one is greeted by the pungent smell emitted from them.
It is a common sight to see most women displaying cooked food (rice, yam, red red, etc) by the gutters and this poses a serious health danger or hazard to consumers.
Majority of the fast food sellers also come to the edge of these gutters to do business without the slightest knowledge of any health implications.
But, health experts say there is a serious health implication when one is exposed to pungent odour emitting from the gutters or elsewhere.
According to a former Kumasi Metropolitan Health Services Director, Dr Kwasi Yeboah-Awudzi, “people who are staying near offensive smell almost all the time can be potentially at risk of having nausea, headaches, depression, increased anxiety, elevated blood pressure, decrease in physical energy, asthma attacks in asthmatic patients as well as physical discomfort (aches and pains)”.
Pregnant women are mostly at risk of contracting other infectious diseases like dysentery, typhoid, cholera among others when exposed to such smelly environment.
Dr Yeboah-Awudzi, therefore, urged pregnant women, the elderly and people with chronic health problems like asthma, not to be exposed to such odour as it would have negative health impact on them.
Surprisingly, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly has no specific bye-laws which mandate store owners or occupants to provide toilet facilities thus making the developers have a field day.
The city engineer of the KMA, David Ameyaw, admitting that the Assembly has no specific bye-laws on the provision of toilets in the stores, by owners or occupants, noted that the Assembly had some bye-law (House Owners, Occupants bye-laws 2018, section 103, subsection 1H), which prohibits the construction of a house without adequate toilet facility, which is applicable to store owners and occupants. He explained that subsection 2 of section 103 of the House Owners, Occupants bye-laws is used to prosecute a person who contravenes subsection 1H of section 103 of the bye-law and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than 100 penalty units -equivalent of GH¢1,200.00 or three months imprisonment or both.
The Engineer said the Assembly was rolling out a project to change the phase of the metropolis and as part of the project, there would be first class public place of convenience at vintage areas where stores have sprung up to avoid the use of gutters as dumping ground.
He pointed out that the proposed project would ensure that private contractors submit a detailed plan with the provision of toilet and urinal facilities to the Assembly before any construction could take place.
He assured that KMA would ensure all newly constructed stores at Adum and parts of the central business areas would have toilet facilities to ensure comfortability.
He said that it was the duty of the Assembly’s health directorate to enforce the bye- laws that expect building owners and occupants to provide toilet facilities.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Muslims across the country celebrated this year’s Eid-ul-Adha in a colourful and spiritually uplifting atmosphere under the theme, “A Season of Sacrifice, Solidarity and Spiritual Renewal.”
The celebration brought together Muslims from diverse backgrounds in a remarkable display of faith, unity and cultural heritage.
The occasion was marked by special Eid prayers at various designated grounds, the slaughtering of rams in homes for sharing among family members, friends and the less privileged, as well as musical concerts and recreational activities including horse riding.
Leading the celebration was the Chief Imam, Dr Sheikh Osman Sharubutu.
While the national celebration was held at the Black Star Square where President John Dramani Mahama was the Special Guest of Honour, similar gatherings took place at different centres across the capital and other regions of the country.
A visit by The Spectator to some celebration grounds revealed Muslims, both young and old, elegantly dressed in colourful jalabiya and other Islamic attire, reflecting the rich culture and traditions of the Muslim community.
The celebration also portrayed the spirit of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the country, as a number of Christians joined their Muslim counterparts to mark the occasion.
Muslim leaders and government officials used the opportunity to call on the faithful to uphold the teachings of the Holy Quran, renew their spiritual commitment and refrain from acts capable of undermining the peace, unity and security of the nation.
They further urged Ghanaians to continue to live in harmony and support one another for national development.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
Dear Obaa Yaa,
During Eid-ul- Adha celebration, I decided to spend the weekend at my boyfriend’s place since we were planning towards our marriage.
To my surprise, what keeps me wide awake, restless and frustrated every single time is that he snores loudly like a generator running on full power, and I genuinely cannot get any rest
At a point, I thought it was just a normal thing, but I have realised it is something he does with ease and doesn’t see anything wrong with it.
When he steps out in the morning, I try to get enough sleep because I may not sleep in the evening.
The most annoying thing is that, he always wants to cuddle me. These two things are a no for me and a red flag.
We are about to get married, what should I do?
Enam, Keta.
Dear Enam,
The snoring and constant cuddling are frustrating, but you don’t have to choose between sleep and closeness.
Start with the snoring: check if it’s worse when he sleeps on his back, cut out alcohol before bed, try nasal strips or a humidifier, and see a doctor if he pauses while breathing.
For quick relief, foam earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones help a lot.
Separate blankets, a bigger bed, or sleeping apart on some nights often makes couples rest well and feel closer overall.
Bring this up before the wedding .Tell him you want to wake up next to him for years to come, but sleep deprivation makes you both miserable.
Test earplugs and side-sleeping this weekend, and if it’s still unbearable, bring in a doctor. Good sleep matters more for your marriage than staying glued together all night.
