A scene in Kumasi on Sunday
THE ASHANTI Regional capital of Kumasi was on Sunday hit by massive floods, which destroyed several valuable items and caused nightmarish moments for the hapless people.
Surprisingly, it rained in the Garden City for less than 20 minutes, but the after effects of the rain were horrible as the rainwater caused huge destruction to properties, running into millions of Ghana Cedis.
The floods were so devastating that a lot of homes, markets and several workplaces received their fair share of the rainwaters to the chagrin and shock of the residents.
Affected Markets
Some of the notable affected places of Sunday’s floods included the newly constructed multi-million Kejetia Bus Terminal/Market project, which was commissioned some few months ago.
The water surprisingly found its way into most of the shops, leading to the destruction of valuable goods and electrical appliances that were being kept in those shops.
Similarly, the rain also flooded most of the other markets in the Garden City, especially the Asafo Market, where reports said products running into several millions of cedis were destroyed.
When DAILY GUIDE visited the Kejetia Bus Terminal/Market and the Asafo Market yesterday morning, most of the affected traders were openly shedding tears, following the huge losses they had suffered.
Atafoa Bridge
The rainwater also submerged the old-looking Atafoa Bridge in the Bantama Constituency, few minutes after the heavens had opened up, causing problems for people living around the area.
It is estimated that about 50,000 people that travel on the road from Barekese, Offinso, Ahafo and Bono regions to Kumasi on a daily basis, were blocked behind the bridge for uncountable hours, and commuters on that stretch are sometimes blocked from traveling from either the Kumasi or the Barekse side for 24 hours due to floods.
During the Sunday’s floods, some aged people, nursing mothers and children as young as one-year-old, were seen trapped behind the flood waters as they could not do anything about the situation.
Cause of Floods
Credible reports reaching the DAILY GUIDE indicated that virtually all the drainage systems and most of the bridges in Kumasi were very tiny and outmoded, resulting in floods whenever it rained.
Some construction experts and engineers have said the current Kumasi population is also going up and the outmoded drainage systems cannot contain the situation.
Danger Ahead
According to these experts, the extent at which the entire city easily got flooded after little amount of rainfall on Sunday, should serve as a strong warning of the danger looming, insisting that Kumasi is sitting on a time bomb as far as floods situation are concerned.
Housing Minister
According to the experts, residents of Kumasi should mount pressure on the new Works and Housing Minister, Francis Asenso-Boakye, who doubles as MP for Bantama, to quickly take a bold action to address the Kumasi floods problem.
They said the entire Kumasi had become a flood-prone area; therefore, the new minister should be tasked to act now by building modern culverts to avert a looming disaster.
They were of the opinion that the flood situation in Kumasi and other parts of the Ashanti Region, has become a national security threat, therefore the government should act before it is too late.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi