Road users at the Suame Magazine in Kumasi earlier today, Tuesday, March 31, staged a protest over the slow progress of work on the Suame Interchange.
They say the dust from the unfinished parts of the projects is taking a toll on their health and their businesses as well, with many traders and residents contracting various respiratory illnesses, forcing them to miss work days to go to the hospital.
The traders also lament the large amounts of money they spent on these hospital visits and medication to treat their ailments.
“The excessive dust is killing us. The previous administration started this project a few months before leaving office, and it’s now an albatross,” one road user said.
“We’ve had to go to the hospital several times because of the dust. We’re always sick, and it’s also draining us financially.”
The residents, in a bid to get their concerns addressed, blocked the road with tyres, tables and other objects, creating some gridlock in the area.
Some police officers were dispatched to the scene to help maintain order.
The residents have appealed to the government to ensure that work on the project is fast-tracked to provide the residents with some relief, not just in terms of the road infrastructure but also the air they breathe.
Excessive dust appears to now be a major feature of road construction projects, with constant complaints highlighting the construction of the Pokuase Interchange.
The Tema Motorway expansion project has also seen many road users resort to wearing face masks whenever they ply the stretch due to the large volumes of dust on the stretch.
This story was a collaboration with New Narratives. Funding was provided by the Clean Air Fund which had no say in the story’s content.
