A wooden bridge connecting Akwidaa and other nestling communities in the Western region has collapsed, leaving residents stranded.
Social, educational and economic activities in the town have stalled as traders and schoolchildren, are now compelled to use an alternate route that is barely accessible.
The Akwidaa Bridge, which spans the Eziley River, is approximately 200 meters long. It connects the old and new Akwidaa townships and provides an alternative route for residents in about six other nearby communities.
According to residents, the bridge has gradually developed flaws over the years. But despite the incessant appeals to the Municipal Assembly and the forestry Commission for repairs, no response was heard.
“We have several letters we have written to the Forestry Commission to allow us to go into the forest reserve here to pick some of the fallen and not too dead lumber and use them to repair the bridge. It has been more than a year and there has not been any response. We don’t get any form of royalty from the Forestry Commission. And so, we were thinking that this will be an opportunity for us to get something but we thought wrong,” Assembly member for Akwidaa Emmanuel Bonney lamented.
The bridge collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday, July 5, trapping hundreds of people in their homes.
“As I speak, it has become difficult for the over one thousand people in communities around who use the bridge to carry out their daily economic activities with ease,” He told 3news monitored by theghanareport.com.
He, therefore, made another appeal to the Ahanta West Municipal Assembly and the Forestry Commission to come to their aid alas life in the affected communities will take a worrying turn.