New-Site (W/R), Feb. 26, GNA – A heavy downpour witnessed in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis (STMA) has wreaked havoc to school properties, homes and stores.
The over two hour rains, affected areas such as the Central Business District (CBD) in Takoradi, Essikafo-Ambantem No. 1 and 2 and Mankessim White House area.
The rest are: Adakope, Kokompe, Effiakuma New-Site, Takoradi Airport road, Ekuase near Sekondi, Anaji and other low lying areas.
The rains, which lasted a little over two hours blocked a lot of asphalted roads in the Metropolis as trees along some of the roads fell on the roads making them inaccessible to both private and commercial drivers.
Residents in some of these areas including, school children, shoppers, hawkers and traders had it difficult to access the roads or move from one point to the other, while drivers who tried to drive through struggled to identify the right lanes.
Drains were filled with water overflowing its banks, which rushed into households, stores and apartments damaging properties.
One of the hardest hit by the rain is the Good Shepherd Anglican JHS at Effiakuma New-Site in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality (EKMA) where the school’s compound and classrooms were flooded destroying teaching and learning materials.
Madam Carolyn Idun Tawiah, Headteacher of the School, told the Ghana News Agency that the entire classrooms were flooded submerging all desks, books, cardboards and other materials belonging to students and the school.
She said even though the students were in school, they were rescued safely by teachers and some ‘good samaritans’ in the community without any injury.
She explained that it took the intervention of teachers and some parents in the community to help collect all the waters from the classrooms to make the place usable.
However, at the time the GNA visited the School, the classrooms were still soaked in water with pupils trying to salvage the debris.
Madam Tawiah therefore appealed to the authorities to provide them with a new school block, since the situation had been recurring even with the slightest downpour.
“I think we need an entirely new block since this happens always anytime it rained. Moreso, the place is a water log and sometimes water is seen coming from the ground. We plead for the authorities to help us especially, as we approach the rainy season,” she lamented.
When contacted, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Western Regional Minister –designate, said that plans were afoot to solve the perennial flooding problem in the Metropolis.
He announced that a section has been awarded for construction and the contractor would soon take possession of the site for work to begin.
GNA