Okaikoi North sub Metro in perspective: Fear grips Alogboshie as rainy season approaches, Monday April 2, 2012, pg 28
A family is trapped in a slapdash wooden shack with corrugated tin roofs perched precariously on legs above the marshy edge of the open storm drain as the rain continued unabated.
A group of bare-chested young men trudge through a flowing flood carrying a dead boar as the rains stream down.
Broken walls, uprooted trees, flooded or marshy compounds, two dead bodies,a mother and five year-old child, removed under a broken wall.
Life serves a menu of tragedies when the blue sky gives way to clouds and subsequently, the rains. For some residents of Alogboshie a neighbourhood in Achimota in the Okai Koi North sub-Metro, the rainy season is a period to plot either an exit plan or simply play into the hands of nature.
“When the clouds begin to gather at night, we begin to think of where to send our mattresses, pillows and bags. Two things happen when the rains arrive; it’s either the compounds of our homes get flooded or our rooms are filled to the knee level.”
“Because there are no proper drains here, it’s very difficult to prevent the running water from getting into our homes,” lamented Ms Christian Dogbe a resident who poured her heart out to the Daily Graphic.
For residents, especially those close to the unconstructed storm drains close to the railway lines in Alogboshie, the beginning of the rainy season is a moment to send prayers to heaven for just showers and not heavy downpours.
For a community that has more than 300 houses, it is ironical that there are only two drains that run through and flow into the storm drain en route to the Odaw River. One is unconstructed, overflowing with garbage and invaded by weeds while the other is shallow and choked with sand.
When the heavens open with its attendant floods , residents told the Daily Graphic the results are always a bitter pill to swallow.
Flood remains the most notable disaster in Ghana, especially during the rainy season, as a result of poor drainage infrastructure, blockage and improper disposal of refuse, and Alogboshie has its fair share of the mess.
The flood that swept through the community in October last year took away two lives—a mother and a child. It did not end there. While several walls tumbled down, trees were also uprooted in that unusual October rainfall.
‘’It was a scary moment,’’as recalled by Ms Afi Gborvie, whose three children shared her kiosk not far from the storm drain. “The rain lifted the kiosk and took it all the way to the edge of the gutter. We screamed and screamed until good samaritans came to our aid,” she said close to tears.
Her resolve, she stated, was to move the kiosk from its present location to somewhere safe but after five months of fruitless search for a much better place, she abandoned the idea.
“There is no land to put the kiosk. The only place I got too, the money the landlord was asking was just too much.”
As a result of Ghana’s high housing deficit which is close to one million, according to a public data on shelter, coupled with the high rent advance demanded by landlords before the release of their rooms, Ms Gborvie and her children have a lot of thinking to do as the rainy season approaches.
Although not far from the prime and prestigious part of Achimota, some parts of Alogboshie could get you to scratch your head in the face of the existing squalid conditions. It is a cocktail of two worlds. One with a neat row of houses and the other scattered and unplanned structures being used for shelter.
Last October’s downpour also left in its trail untold devastation including many broken walls. A lot of domestic animals also fell victim to the floods. For some young men in the neighbourhood, the rain brought free meat. They defied the speed of the rushing water and celebrated their catch.
In a community full of unsightly environmental conditions, there is also a huge pile of refuse dump which emits an overpowering stench, to the detriment of the health of the people in the neighbourhood.
With no regular place to dispose their rubbish, some of the residents turn to a refuse dump close to the railway line. There is a scavenger who keeps the rubbish from spilling onto the railway but at a fee paid by the users. In his absence, the spillover which occurs is not a pleasant sight.
The only road that snakes through the community is a dusty undulating path filled with debris from broken walls.
On a rainy day, it gets muddy and sticky for both cars and humans. The road links the Neoplan Junction to Dome. The only bridge on the road that links Alongshore to Achromat ABC and then to Dome has also been washed away by the flood.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the assembly member of the area, Mr James Akogo, blamed the situation on building on waterways. According to him, the owner of Merril Poultry Shop, who is one of the offenders, had diverted the course of the flooding water.
“Now when it rains, the entire place gets flooded, bringing down walls. We are petitioning the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to deal with the situation.”
Residents have blamed successive members of parliament and assembly members for their inability to go beyond promises to construct the road.
“They come and make a lot of noise about putting the road in shape during campaigns but as soon as they get elected, its either you don’t see them again or the promises are forgotten. Our problems become the ladder on which they climb to their positions,” a carpenter, Emmanuel Kwashie said.
“This year, they will run out of promises because what have we not heard from them before? Anyone who wants my vote this year has a lot of convincing to do,” he said, wiping out the film of sweat on his face.
“Our community is among the most neglected in Accra but sadly, nothing has been done over the years to help us,” he added.
The assembly member for the area, Mr Akogo, agreed with the assertion. “This area has been ignored for too long.”
Mr Akogo said he had raised the issue of the drains and roads in the neighbourhood at the assembly level but it has so far yielded no fruits.
He also lamented the incompetence of the waste management company assigned to the community, Yafuru Waste Management Limited, for neglecting its obligations to the neighbourhood.
“Because they don’t come here at all, people are taking advantage and throwing their refuse into the drains and any open space around.”
Mr Akogo observed that the community’s plight is worsened during the rainy season due to the construction of the Achimota-Ofankor road which had resulted in major drains in Mile 7, Tantra Hill and New Achimota being channeled through the community.
As the rainy season approaches, the headache of many residents is how to keep the resulting flood away from their homes.
A group of bare-chested young men trudge through a flowing flood carrying a dead boar as the rains stream down.
Broken walls, uprooted trees, flooded or marshy compounds, two dead bodies,a mother and five year-old child, removed under a broken wall.
Life serves a menu of tragedies when the blue sky gives way to clouds and subsequently, the rains. For some residents of Alogboshie a neighbourhood in Achimota in the Okai Koi North sub-Metro, the rainy season is a period to plot either an exit plan or simply play into the hands of nature.
“When the clouds begin to gather at night, we begin to think of where to send our mattresses, pillows and bags. Two things happen when the rains arrive; it’s either the compounds of our homes get flooded or our rooms are filled to the knee level.”
“Because there are no proper drains here, it’s very difficult to prevent the running water from getting into our homes,” lamented Ms Christian Dogbe a resident who poured her heart out to the Daily Graphic.
For residents, especially those close to the unconstructed storm drains close to the railway lines in Alogboshie, the beginning of the rainy season is a moment to send prayers to heaven for just showers and not heavy downpours.
For a community that has more than 300 houses, it is ironical that there are only two drains that run through and flow into the storm drain en route to the Odaw River. One is unconstructed, overflowing with garbage and invaded by weeds while the other is shallow and choked with sand.
When the heavens open with its attendant floods , residents told the Daily Graphic the results are always a bitter pill to swallow.
Flood remains the most notable disaster in Ghana, especially during the rainy season, as a result of poor drainage infrastructure, blockage and improper disposal of refuse, and Alogboshie has its fair share of the mess.
The flood that swept through the community in October last year took away two lives—a mother and a child. It did not end there. While several walls tumbled down, trees were also uprooted in that unusual October rainfall.
‘’It was a scary moment,’’as recalled by Ms Afi Gborvie, whose three children shared her kiosk not far from the storm drain. “The rain lifted the kiosk and took it all the way to the edge of the gutter. We screamed and screamed until good samaritans came to our aid,” she said close to tears.
Her resolve, she stated, was to move the kiosk from its present location to somewhere safe but after five months of fruitless search for a much better place, she abandoned the idea.
“There is no land to put the kiosk. The only place I got too, the money the landlord was asking was just too much.”
As a result of Ghana’s high housing deficit which is close to one million, according to a public data on shelter, coupled with the high rent advance demanded by landlords before the release of their rooms, Ms Gborvie and her children have a lot of thinking to do as the rainy season approaches.
Although not far from the prime and prestigious part of Achimota, some parts of Alogboshie could get you to scratch your head in the face of the existing squalid conditions. It is a cocktail of two worlds. One with a neat row of houses and the other scattered and unplanned structures being used for shelter.
Last October’s downpour also left in its trail untold devastation including many broken walls. A lot of domestic animals also fell victim to the floods. For some young men in the neighbourhood, the rain brought free meat. They defied the speed of the rushing water and celebrated their catch.
In a community full of unsightly environmental conditions, there is also a huge pile of refuse dump which emits an overpowering stench, to the detriment of the health of the people in the neighbourhood.
With no regular place to dispose their rubbish, some of the residents turn to a refuse dump close to the railway line. There is a scavenger who keeps the rubbish from spilling onto the railway but at a fee paid by the users. In his absence, the spillover which occurs is not a pleasant sight.
The only road that snakes through the community is a dusty undulating path filled with debris from broken walls.
On a rainy day, it gets muddy and sticky for both cars and humans. The road links the Neoplan Junction to Dome. The only bridge on the road that links Alongshore to Achromat ABC and then to Dome has also been washed away by the flood.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the assembly member of the area, Mr James Akogo, blamed the situation on building on waterways. According to him, the owner of Merril Poultry Shop, who is one of the offenders, had diverted the course of the flooding water.
“Now when it rains, the entire place gets flooded, bringing down walls. We are petitioning the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to deal with the situation.”
Residents have blamed successive members of parliament and assembly members for their inability to go beyond promises to construct the road.
“They come and make a lot of noise about putting the road in shape during campaigns but as soon as they get elected, its either you don’t see them again or the promises are forgotten. Our problems become the ladder on which they climb to their positions,” a carpenter, Emmanuel Kwashie said.
“This year, they will run out of promises because what have we not heard from them before? Anyone who wants my vote this year has a lot of convincing to do,” he said, wiping out the film of sweat on his face.
“Our community is among the most neglected in Accra but sadly, nothing has been done over the years to help us,” he added.
The assembly member for the area, Mr Akogo, agreed with the assertion. “This area has been ignored for too long.”
Mr Akogo said he had raised the issue of the drains and roads in the neighbourhood at the assembly level but it has so far yielded no fruits.
He also lamented the incompetence of the waste management company assigned to the community, Yafuru Waste Management Limited, for neglecting its obligations to the neighbourhood.
“Because they don’t come here at all, people are taking advantage and throwing their refuse into the drains and any open space around.”
Mr Akogo observed that the community’s plight is worsened during the rainy season due to the construction of the Achimota-Ofankor road which had resulted in major drains in Mile 7, Tantra Hill and New Achimota being channeled through the community.
As the rainy season approaches, the headache of many residents is how to keep the resulting flood away from their homes.
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