Multiple storey buildings, and cranes sitting on our heads
Constructional development has indeed arrived in the city of Accra, no doubt. That is my verdict each day I am out there in the heart of the town. However, these developments have brought in their wake, multiples of intrusions on our privacy and broken all security concerns.
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Hotels, hospitals, office accommodation, apartments and town houses have sprung up all over Accra. These are all good signs of some faith in the economy. Above the creation of employment and support to local manufacturers in the construction business, it is also an opportunity for local artisans to learn new things and build on their skills.
A drive around town, especially in areas where construction works seem to be concentrated, however, makes obvious the intrusions these new multiple storey buildings are making on the privacy of their neighbours. A sizeable proportion of the new works are happening at the Airport, Cantonments, Labone and Ridge areas in Accra. These are mostly residential areas.
To a larger extent, they involve the knocking down of old building to create space for town houses, residential apartments or commercial buildings. Elsewhere, specific areas would have been demarcated by city authorities for such high rise developments to take place. They even add beauty and order to the planning of the city.
The existing buildings and houses seem to suggest that the original plan for these areas were primarily for single or two-storey houses and more specifically reserved for residential not commercial purposes. What do we see now? Prime residential areas have been turned into a mixture of both, losing the essence of the serenity of a residential area.
That apart, some of the new multiple story buildings are sited next to existing homes which are mainly spread on the ground level. Some of the multiple storey buildings springing up in the residential localities are so close to people’s non-storied homes that they have virtually become permanent intrusion towering over the home next door and peeping into their rooms.
There does not seem to be any order in the way permits are being given for construction works in existing residential areas. Yes, people may have the means to build to the sky but there should be some order to take care of the needs of other home owners.
There is also a general concern, which is critical — it is about the safety of residents in construction areas, as well as others in the immediate vicinities. Last week Friday, I drove past the Ridge Hospital in the Ridge area. The multi-million dollar modern hospital project is gradually progressing. One serious danger observed, however, is the positioning of the heavy cranes being used on the site.
As of last Friday night when I drove past the hospital, I observed the head of the crane hanging directly over the main busy road in front of the hospital. On Sunday afternoon when I again drove past the project site, the crane was still dangerously hanging over the road.
Apart from vehicles driving past, pedestrians and patients use that side of the road a lot. So leaving the crane extending to the middle of a public access road, especially on a weekend presupposes that the contractor is assuming that the crane is 100 per cent safe and secure.
Sadly, as one drives around the city, that is the posturing one gets from contractors at some of the construction sites. In the Cantonments and Labone areas where I drove through at the weekend, I found a number of dangerous positioning of unattended heavy cranes.
In the Cantonments area, a crane was directly hanging over the fence wall of a private home. How safe do the residents feel each day as they watch such heavy machinery hanging over their heads? If anything should happen to the crane and it snaps, there would definitely be a disaster on a large scale.
Do we pay attention to safety and security at all? Is there a body that must check such safety infringements and ensure the protection of communities? Do safety inspectors at building sites not see anything wrong with heavy cranes virtually projecting into homes and public access roads?
The Department of Town and Country Planning, as well as the Accra Metropolitan Assembly should take a serious look at what goes on at construction sites if for nothing at all, at least for the safety and protection of citizens. Casual approach to safety and security could be costly.