Anyaa School Junction flooding due to low-lying nature of area

Anyaa School Junction at Awoshie in Accra has become one of the well known spots of flooding in the Ga Central Municipal Assembly of the Greater Accra Region.

A low-lying area, the least downpour from the hills at Awoshie to Anyaa School Junction, brings in its wake sand onto the main Awoshie Pokuase highway.

Even though the rains have reduced, the Anyaa School Junction bus stop is usually wet and sandy, causing some residents, including the Assemblyman for the Anyaa West Electoral Area, Mr Michael Acquah, to raise red flags about the operation of a washing bay at the bus terminal.

According to Mr Acquah, the washing bay had been built on a watercourse, and that was contributing to flooding in the area.

The washing bay some residents accuse of generating flood at the bus stop.

He also said the building, together and others was sitting on a major pipeline that supplied water to residents in Anyaa and its environs.

However, the owner of the washing bay, Mr George Kofi Alpha Nkansah, has refuted the claims.

Bus stop filled with sand
When The Mirror visited the area, it observed that sand and water had collected at portions of the road at the main traffic lights at the bus stop.

Meanwhile, the owner of the washing bay in question has dug trenches that lead to the main drain at the back of the bay.

Mr George Kofi Alpha Nkansah, pointing at the drain he has constructed to carry waste water out of the washing bay

However, the spillover water enters the open drain in front of the building and some overflows onto portions of the highway.

The main drain meant to collect sewage from the hills of Awoshie was blocked with sand and weeds, rendering it useless.

Water from pump
Mr Nkansah attributed the situation at the area to a Ghana Water Company Limited pump at the bus stop which always spilled onto the street.

The water at the Anyaa School Junction

“First of all, the sand is always washed from the hills to this place because it is a low-lying area, and that cannot be from my washing bay.

“There is a pump by the Ghana Water Company at the bus stop that always spills onto the highway and mixes with the sand, coupled with flooding anytime it rains.

“So it cannot possible be concluded that my activities lead to flooding at the bus stop,” he said.

Drainage system
In an interview with The Mirror, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Dr Emmanuel Lamptey, refuted claims that the washing bay was responsible for the flooding at the bus stop.

He admitted that the municipality was facing a major challenge of lack of adequate drainage system and the fact that many people have built on the watercourse.

The main storm drain along the Awoshie Pokuase highway is filled with sand and weeds.

“What I know is that the municipality is a low-lying area and gets flooded with the least rainfall. So I do not believe that the washing bay is a contributory factor.

“Unfortunately, people have built on a watercourse in addition to lack of adequate drains,” he said.

Dr Lamptey emphasised that plans had been put in place to construct a lot of storm drains to end the perennial flooding in the municipality.