KMA to demolish unauthorised buildings at Breman Abusuakuruwa

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is to pull down some houses at Breman Abusuakuruwa, a Kumasi suburb, since the buildings have been constructed on a waterway at a natural reserve area.

The situation of the buildings, which have no building permits has been resulting in perennial flooding in the area since they are blocking the free flow of water and thus destroying properties worth millions of cedis.

It is unclear the exact number of buildings to be pulled down but Ms Patricia Appiagyei, the Metropolitan Chief Executive explained that the situation cannot be allowed to go on and since the buildings have no permits, they ought to be pulled down.

This came to light when a delegation from the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council led by the Regional Minister, Mr E. A. Owusu Ansah visited the area last week.

Other members of the delegation included the Deputy Regional Minister, Mr Osei Assibey Antwi, the KMA Chief Executive and officials from the KMA and the Regional Coordinating Council.

Prior to the visit, the entire residents, including those with buildings without permits had petitioned the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council for assistance for a lasting solution to a perennial flooding problem at the Breman Abusuakuruwa area.

The residents had suggested a possible desilting of the River Acheamponmene, which runs through the area and had also blamed the construction of a bridge on the Kumasi-Offinso road for contributing to the flooding.

Ironically the residents, especially those with no building permits who gets mainly hit by the perennial flooding had claimed that the construction of the bridge was allowing more water to flow from the other side of the road (Breman Asuogya) to their side resulting in more flooding and therefore suggested the desilting of the River to allow the water to flow well without flooding the area.

It was revealed during the delegation’s visit that the area close to the Acheamponmene river was a natural reserve but it was detected that buildings have sprang up along the whole area thus blocking the free flow of the river.

It came to light that there are about three tributaries of the river, which meet at the area and that none of the buildings on the water way had building permits thus, the existence of those buildings was rather resulting in the flooding, which most of the time extended to areas where buildings are legally situated.

It was also detected that the area is a low lying ground and that not even the desilting of the River Acheamponmene could help stop the flooding and that the only solution was to demolish the buildings on the waterway so as to allow the free flow of the water in order to also save legal residents from getting their properties destroyed by floods.

Mr Kwabena Owusu Aduomi, the Regional Highways Director explained that the bridge in contention initially had small culvert so anytime it rained, the water used to overtop the road, hence his outfit decided to install more and bigger culverts in order to prevent forestall the overtopping of the road by the water.

He said it was based on that instance that the residents complained that the new bridge would allow more water to flow to their side of the road and thus more flooding and subsequently followed it up with a petition to the Regional Coordinating Council for assistance.

He said his outfit realised that the area was a low lying place and that nothing could be done to avert flooding unless those buildings water way were removed.

Ms Patricia Appiagyei said it was ironic for residents who have no building permits and whose actions are a direct result of the flooding problem would turn around wanting assistance to help avert the flooding in the area.

She said once the buildings are in a natural reserve, the occupants ought to vacate the area and that desilting the river would not the answer.

She said she suspected most of the residents are squatters and that they should move out of the area before floods spoil their property and blamed the Assembly member for the area for negligence and said the Assemblyman should have been on the look out and drawn the KMA’s attention to the anomally.