In an attempt to alleviate flooding on the N1 highway between Kasoa and Winneba, the government has installed temporary drainage on the route to lessen the risk of floods during heavy rainstorms.
Given the serious circumstances, according to Ghana Hydrological Authority Head of Drainage Richard Kofi Amekor, the government could not wait for the main storm drains to be completed.
He argues that getting temporary chambers to handle the floods in the interim is important because the storm drains, which are only approximately 30% complete, cannot be depended upon as a solution to the problem at this time.
He made the statement on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, during a visit to the Kasoa-Winneba section of the N1 by engineers and officials from the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, and the Ghana Hydrological Authority to evaluate the damage caused by the most recent flooding incident in the area.
Since last Monday, there has been an increase in traffic between the SCC and Old Barrier length as a result of a rainfall that caused that part to flood. According to Mr. Amekor, the hills’ enormous water tables and the silt that collects on the road during rainy seasons create frequent floods in the area surrounding the Kasoa Old Barrier.
According to him, the material obstructed the water’s passage down the drains, causing the region to flood. “We are going to create chambers within this existing pipe, which is about 1.2 meters in diameter and lies parallel to the road, so that when it rains, some of the water can flow through those chambers into the outfall,” Mr. Amekor stated.
In addition to the makeshift chamber, he stated that work was being done on a 1.6-kilometer storm drain that would run from Kasoa Old Barrier to the West Hills Mall. It was anticipated to be finished in the next 17 months.
There was an actual storm drainage problem in the area, as the Minister of Roads and Highways acknowledged. But he asserted that the Ghana Hydrological Authority and the Ministry of Works and Housing had previously recognized the problem and would address it shortly.
He promised to meet with engineers from his ministry and the Ghana Hydrological Authority immediately following the inspection tour to devise a strategy to guarantee that all of the actions being carried out were synchronized.
“I’ve come to the realization that the two ministries need to work together more closely to address some of these challenges,” Mr. Asenso-Boakye stated. Heavy vehicle traffic is a well-known problem in the Kasoa Old Barrier area, which is made worse by rain.
Because of the severe gridlock on that section caused by the rain on Monday evening, commuters in vehicles had to wait up to eight hours in some cases to complete the 45-minute trip.
Motorists traveling in opposite directions were forced to use just one side of the dual carriageway due to runoff and soil that washed over the road from the hills.
There were no traffic wardens to help, according to commuters, and anarchy prevailed in the survival-of-the-fittest scenario.
