“You can’t achieve anything in life if you don’t have a vision of what you want to do, who you to be and just as importantly how you want to get there.”
- Otumfour Osei- Tutu II
A lot has happened during the past week(s) and most of the events didn’t do the country any good. The heavy downpour that destroyed the stretch of the road from the 2nd overhead bridge at Kaneshie market to Mpamprom, and the damage to vehicles as well as public and private properties did really send a message across to every Ghanaian, especially officialdom that we as a people have a lot to do to make Ghana a safe country to live in.
Are the officials or the state agencies mandated to make sure Ghana is safe waiting for disaster to happen before they begin to do their work? Is NADMO ready for a serious disaster such as the one that happened last Friday, June 19? What happened to the decongestion exercise that the AMA boss promised Ghanaians and residence of Accra metropolis? Is the NCCE doing its work? Is the money allocated to them enough to enable them work effectively? There are serious questions to be asked and these serious questions also demands serious but simple answers.
Our cities are choked, especially Accra, Kumasi and to some extent Takoradi. Accra is very dirty and we the inhabitants aren’t helping matters. People throw rubbish, cook and sell everywhere. Structures are also put up indiscriminately and what makes it dangerous is that they are put up on water ways. Permits were given to people to enable them put up such buildings on water ways.
I also don’t understand why in the 21st century, we still construct open gutters in Ghana. Liquid waste in our gutters, especially water cannot flow because the gutters are filled with rubbish. I wasn’t surprised that, when it rained heavily on the 19th June, the water ended up on the streets, which killed 7 innocent people, destroyed vehicles and flooded stores, houses and rooms. For once, our politicians shouldn’t politicize issues concerning the decongestion exercise that the various mayors want to undertake. The Zoom lion workers are doing their best to keep the city clean but the sanitation situation hasn’t improved considerably. Structures that are built on water ways without permit should be demolished. Some do have permits and such buildings should be demolished and the owners compensated. Life is sweet and very precious. We cannot exchange the life of human being with anything. Moreover, God gave everyone 1 life and we should do our best to safeguard it.
Lest I forget, a Bible was found in one of the damaged cars at Kaneshie and it was opened to Isaiah 1:4. I opened my Good News Bible to read and it read: “You are doomed, you sinful nation, you corrupt and evil people! Your sins drag you down! You have rejected the Lord, the Holy God of Israel, and have turned your backs on him.
Verse 5: Why do you keep rebelling? Do you want to be punished even more?... Dear readers, I will entreat all to read the Holy book because there are lessons to be learnt. We should all pray for our country, our leaders and everyone in it.
I learnt Ghana wants to sell some of our water (I mean treated water) to our brothers and sisters in Togo, just like we used to export electricity to Togo, Burkina Faso, and Benin. I am not against exporting water to Togo but AVRL, managers of Ghana Water Company have not fulfilled their promise of supplying water to every part of the country. I however find it difficult to understand why they should think of supplying another country with our water. As I write today, places in Accra such as Adenta, Madina, North Kaneshie, Gbawe, Mallam etc, do not have access to affordable treated water. Other parts of the country do not have water flowing through their pipes. There are shortages in their operations and they should think of solving such problems and improve on supplying water to every corner of the country. As for exporting water, I beg to differ so please come again….
FELIX DONKOR
www.felixdonkor.blogspot.com
www.newsafrican.com
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