Part of Akwamu to Atimpoku road has been washed away making it impossible for residents and Commuters to travel on the road to other communities, compelling students, sick people and traders to be ferried on the Volta Lake as alternate.
Preliminary investigations conducted indicate that, that section of the road was saturated as a result of a leaking underground main pipe line lying along the Upper part of the road .The leaked water infiltrated the soil beneath the road making it volatile to be washed away into the Volta Lake.
Since the incident occurred on Friday, the road has been blocked and cordoned off. Without any proper alternate route, residents including students, chiefs and market women use ferry to cross the Volta lake to Atimpoku to continue their journey.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mavis Ama Frimpong ,who has twice visited the scene with the DCE for Asuogyaman, Thomas Ampem Nyarko to ensure that safety measures are put in place to avoid casualty, on Monday led an emergency team of Engineers from the Ghana Highways Authority, Feeder Roads and the Ghana Water Company Limited to asses the situation for an emergency intervention under the directive of the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama.
The Eastern regional Minister and his entourage, after assessment of the situation, visited the Akwamu Traditional Council where she assured that, the President has ordered for bulldozers and graders to rehabilitate the Akwamu to Mpakadan road which is not motorable now as alternate route to Apegusu and other communities for use for the interim, while lasting solutions are being found to reconstruct and prevent the problem from reoccurring.
She also announced at the inspection site plans to create alternate route for commuters to have access road to Atimpoku and its environs.
The Eastern regional Director of Ghana Highways Authority blamed the incident on failure on the part of Ghana Water Company Limited to repair and fix the pipe line which was leaking beneath the road.
The Omanhene of Akwamu Traditional Area,Odeneho Kwarfo Akoto II, pleaded to government to facilitate his emergency interventions to mitigate the impact of troubles inflicted on the community as a results of the incident.
He also called on government to replace the main pipe line which carries water to the community explaining that the pipeline has become obsolete and volatile to frequent leakages which deprives the community of access to water intermittently during repair works.
By: Kojo Ansah