By Michael Foli Jackidy, GNA
Ho (V/R), May 25, GNA – Drivers, passengers and residents along the Ho-Tokor Highway have expressed concern over excessive dust generated by the ongoing road construction works under the government’s Big Push Project.
According to commuters and residents who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the situation was causing discomfort and exposing road users and roadside communities to respiratory-related illnesses.
They said the dust situation was particularly severe from Kpetoe through Tokor, affecting transport operators, traders, students and households located along the stretch.
Some passengers, especially traders who frequently travel on the road, said they had resorted to wearing nose masks, scarves, headgear and caps to protect themselves from the dust, although their clothing still became heavily soiled after every journey.
A commercial driver, popularly known as “Our Father,” told the GNA that drivers now avoided wearing good clothes to work because the dust quickly stained them.
“The way we dress to work now is nothing to write home about. If you wear good clothes, the dust will change everything for you. We now use old clothes to work and regularly buy medicine to prevent colds and other illnesses,” he said.
Some passengers also stated that they only enjoyed travelling on the road during rainfall when the dust was reduced.
The complaints were not limited to commuters alone, as roadside traders, schools, residents and business operators also lamented the impact of the dust on their daily activities.
Madam Comfort Vifa, a provision shop owner at Ave-Havi, said she had to clean dust from her goods almost every 30 minutes to keep the shop presentable.
A koko seller at Penyi also told the GNA that but for the support she received from students who patronised her business, she would have temporarily suspended operations due to the dusty conditions.
Residents and traders appealed to the local authorities and relevant agencies to engage the contractors to frequently sprinkle water on the roads to reduce the dust.
According to them, although several appeals had been made to some of the contractors, their concerns were often ignored, while others only sprinkled water occasionally and inconsistently.
They appealed for urgent intervention to protect the health and wellbeing of commuters and communities along the construction corridor.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah