The Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has directed the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to stop ongoing projects located on waterways in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi.
Mr. Francis Asenso-Boakye made this call during an inspection of some road projects in Kumasi and sighting a building on a waterway at TUC Junction where the dualization of the Dakodwom road is taking place.
“I am very disappointed to see the ongoing construction of buildings in such a waterlogged area where buildings are not supposed to be sited as the area is a reserve to contain the water during rainfall”, the minister remarked.
He explained that the dualization work when completed, would begin to deteriorate because of the developments going on in the waterways, adding that where we have a lot of developments, it will undermine the capacity to hold the water and this will affect the road.
Additionally, Mr. Asenso-Boakye noted that there are laws that give assemblies the right to ensure permits were not given for developments in waterlogged areas and charged KMA to sit up and do the needful.
However, the Mayor of Kumasi, Samuel Pyne, indicated that the assembly’s technical committee and engineers had assessed the place and the developers had taken measures that could mitigate flooding during rainfall.
According to him, the developers were expected to plant trees and widen drains to reinforce the environment against flooding as a result of the road work.
The minister inspected various ongoing road projects at Ejisu, Bantama, Asokwa, Kwabre among others.