The construction of houses on the hill near the Peduase Lodge in Aburi has been identified as a major cause of the weakness of the Aburi mountain whose boulders have been falling onto the Accra-bound section of the road.
Consequently, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemani, has charged the Akwapim South District Assembly to check that development, as the government works to find a lasting solution to the ‘falling rocks’ on the stretch.
Alhaji Sulemani inspected the extent of damage to the mountain following a Daily Graphic report last Tuesday which indicated that disaster was lurking on the curvy Aburi section of the Accra-Aburi road on the Akwapim Ridge, as boulders perched precariously on one another, ready to fall at the least disturbance.
He described the situation as precarious indeed after the inspection and indicated that the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) was doing all it could to resolve the problem before any disaster struck. Akwapim South Assembly to help
The minister solicited the support of the district assembly, stating that for the authority to manage the problem, it was important for the assembly to control construction on the mountain at Peduase.
“We have all along been observing the situation but, of late, the rock movements have become more prominent. At first it was just pieces but now huge portions slide and that is dangerous,” he stated.
“Even though we are finding a technical solution to the problem, we also think that activities on the hill are not helping the cause because there are many heavy structures there and before they are put up, there is movement of equipment and we suspect this might have contributed to the further weakening of the rocks,” he stated.
“People may have their lands but in this situation where the development of such lands results in such destruction, they must be controlled,” he said.
Alhaji Sulemani described the work to be done as very technical, requiring enormous care in order not to compound the problem. The Aburi road
After the contractors had cut through the mountainous stretch during the reconstruction of the road about seven years ago, the boulders acted as a retaining wall.
Unfortunately, they have now become a source of grave concern to motorists, some of whom have told the Daily Graphic they are very careful when approaching that side of the road because they could not determine when the boulders will give way.
The Akwapim South District Chief Executive, Mr Winston Kwadwo Afari-Djan, said he would invite National Security to intervene in restricting the building of structures around the Peduase Lodge, as that area was a security zone and, by law, developers should not have built there.
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