It’s Tuesday morning at Kasoa (formerly known as Odupongkpehe), a peri-urban town in the Awutu Senya East Municipal District of the Central region of Ghana.
With her cosmopolitan nature, Kasoa is home to diverse ethnic groups such as Hausas, Gas, Akans, Ewes, Walas/Dagartis, Moshies, Basares and other smaller tribes.
However, the areas around the Central Business District are dominated by Muslims, while other suburbs within the town have predominantly Christian settlers. The most significant landmark in the town is its magnificent interchange commissioned in November 2016 to ease vehicular traffic for road users.
In the Central Business District, one would have to battle with deafening toots from cars to warn those who spilled carelessly into the narrow streets; the air-filled pungent smell from the pile of rubbish that stares at pedestrians; high pitched sounds from loud music, choky exhaust fumes from vehicles, as well as the usual harsh discordant mixture of voices hurling the names of their wares at passersby and pockets of people haggling over the prices of goods.
The Kasoa Old Market—which was formerly sited just by the main Accra-Cape Coast road and had it moved to a different location (off Kasoa-Bawjiase road) some years ago to pave way for the construction of a terminal— has left a huge remnants. While majority of the traders opted to sheepishly move into the newly constructed market, others took intransigent position to remain here.
The pavements, constructed mainly to be used by pedestrians, are conquered by these traders. Along the pavements are barricades. These barricades are there to ensure that traders do not occupy the flanks of the main road.
Unfortunately, they have not just taken over the pavements; they have spilled over the barricades to occupy the flanks of the main road at the peril of their precious lives. On the left side of the under-bridge towards Winneba and Cape Coast are traders as displaying their wares.
Speaking to some of the road users, they revealed that the new Kasoa Divisional Police Commander has been working hard to make sure traders are off the dangerous part of the road, but her effort is like pouring water into waste basket as these traders return to the very spot they are forbidden to operate amidst raining curses of the Commander and his team.
What would happen when a vehicle has brake failure?
The rubbish, organised in heaps and some packed in sacks at the various parts of the Central Business District, is one of the awful scenes to greet visitors on arrival. Some of these solid wastes are advertently Iined up at the base of the bridge waiting for waste management companies for a pick up. It is more worrying to realize that foodstuffs and other eatable items are sold next to the filth.
Sometimes, by the kind courtesy of the polluted air, the rubbish scattered around. This situation gets worse when it rains; the whole place looks nasty and unwholesome for business.
There is a lot of work to be done in our various Central Business Districts, including Kasoa, one of the fastest developing towns in Ghana.
It has become obvious that the very people whose lives are at stake, are not ready to take precautionary measures to safeguard their safety for the sake of Protecting their Livelihood.
The city authorities must come together to find lasting solution to this menace.
