The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ayawaso Central, Rudolf Collingwoode-Williams, has declared an indefinite ban on food vendors operating near the notorious Alajo main drain.
Speaking on Rainbow Radio’s news programme, Nyankonton Mu Nsem, the MCE defended the drastic measure as a necessary health precaution, claiming a post-flood assessment revealed a severe risk of the public consuming contaminated food from these waterlogged spots.
In a bid to prevent a repeat of the devastating floods that recently ravaged the area, Collingwoode-Williams revealed that the assembly is partnering with the military to forcefully evacuate residents living along the banks of the gutter.
However, in a startling admission of administrative limitations, the MCE conceded that conducting comprehensive structural-integrity tests on vulnerable buildings across the flood-prone enclave is entirely impossible due to the sheer size of the municipality.
Despite this gap in safety enforcement, he maintained that officials would rely on alternative, unspecified measures to protect residents moving forward.
The Assembly emphasised that traders, particularly food vendors operating near major drainage systems, will not be permitted to return to their posts due to severe health and environmental hazards.
Speaking on the development, the spokesperson stated:”The vendors who sell along the major drain will not be allowed to return to their posts. Their activities, especially those who sell food, pose a severe health risk to the public. We are currently clearing the waste in the area, a task we are yet to conclude. Once the evacuation of the waste is complete, we will fumigate the entire area.”
The official further cautioned the public against patronising businesses in the designated red zones: ”We do not want people buying food in this area, nor do we want others coming here to sell. Even if they must return to trade, it will strictly be after the fumigation exercise is fully completed.”
In a bid to prevent future natural disasters, the Assembly has also finalised plans to clear all illegal structures and settlements situated along local buffer zones.
“Aside from these immediate actions, plans are well underway to evacuate individuals living along the buffer zones. We have already engaged with them and informed them that the military will be supporting the assembly in embarking on this enforcement exercise. Our primary goal is to prevent any further disaster.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
