Roads Minister directs demolition of illegal houses, structures on Weija Hills
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah, has directed the Ga South Municipal Assembly to demolish illegal houses and structures that have been put up on the Weija Hills immediately as part of measures to stop the erosion occurring on the hills from generating into a bigger problem.
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He also tasked the assembly to stop the activities of illegal sand winning and stone quarrying on the hills to prevent the weakening of the rocky hill and debris from being washed down onto the Kasoa-Accra road.
“Nobody can build or undertake sand winning or quarrying activities on these hills without the express approval of the Ga South Municipal Assembly and those who do so must have their structures demolished,” he warned.
It would be recalled that a downpour last Sunday caused a huge amount of silt from the Weija Hills to be washed down onto the road, submerging a large part of the road near the Kasoa tollbooth.
The muddy pool triggered a major traffic jam on the stretch.
Technical team
Addressing the media during a tour of the Weija Hills, Mr Amoako-Attah further directed the Chief Director of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Mr Godwin Brocke, to constitute a technical team of engineers, planners and surveyors to come out with practical recommendations to solve the challenge.
“By 10 a.m. on Monday, I will personally inaugurate this committee who will be tasked to come out with a proposal to address the problem,” he stated.
During the tour it was observed that a number of structures, mainly warehouses, churches and houses had been constructed on the hill, a situation that was partly blamed for the frequent erosion on the hills.
The team also noticed that a day after the heavy downpour, a large stretch of the road - from the Kasoa tollbooth all the way to the West Hills Mall - was still covered with debris.
The minister and his team also visited Weija Atala, where drains which had been blocked following the downpour, were also inspected.
Enforce the laws
Mr Amoako-Attah urged the assembly to be bold and brave to demolish any house that was built without permit.
According to him, until the municipal assembly puts its foot on the ground, the illegal activities of construction, sand winning and quarrying could generate into a bigger problem that would put the life of motorists and residents at risk.
Excavation of rocks
The Ga South Municipal Road Engineer, Mr Daniel Sawyer, said the erosion of the Weija Hills started after the excavation of rocks from the hills by Sonitra for the construction of the Legon-Madina road.
“After the construction by Sonitra, this is what we have been left with. The hills have become a quarry exploited by everybody,” he said.
He indicated that the erosion taking place on the hills could topple down one of the transmission polls located along the path of the erosion if unchecked.
To address the problem, he said the assembly had sent reports to the Urban Roads and the GHA to take the necessary preventive action, but was yet to receive a response.