Construction of a second spillway to channel excess water from the Mamahuma Stream, also known as the Fulani Dam, in the Adentan Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, is about 95 per cent complete, the contractor, Messrs Wordsworth Universal Limited, has disclosed.
The contractor, Mr Mawuli Ashiagbor, revealed this when the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Mohammed Ramadan, and officials of the Adentan Municipal Assembly, led by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Ms Ella Christine Nongo, paid a working visit to the site last Friday.
The visit was to enable the team to assess at first hand the progress of work on the spillway, particularly as the area was spared during last Monday’s rains which caused flooding in parts of Accra.
Mr Ashiagbor said the project could be completed by the end of July, provided funds were released by the end of the week, adding that he had already submitted his claims.
He explained that the bulk of the work had been completed, including the construction of the deck, with the remaining tasks being the dredging of the entrance to the spillway to improve water flow during heavy rains, and the surface dressing of the road.
The project, awarded by the Adentan Municipal Assembly, involves the laying of a concrete base along the side walls to protect the culverts and reinforce the spillway.
The dam serves as the main collection point for runoff from the surrounding mountains during the rainy season.
The intervention follows the rehabilitation of the road that acts as a buffer for the dam after it was washed away by a heavy downpour on May 25 last year.
The incident flooded about 50 homes, displaced more than 480 residents, destroyed properties worth millions of cedis and swept away several cattle.
It also left only about two feet of space between the stream and the road linking the Ashieyie and Fulani Down communities, with water seeping underneath and posing a serious risk of collapse.
To address the situation, the assembly reinforced the damaged sections of the road with boulders and gravel rising to about 28 feet to secure the dam and prevent it from overflowing during the rainy season.
Mr Ashiagbor said the decision to construct a second spillway was necessary to avert the risk of the dam overflowing during heavy rainstorms.
In its November 25 edition last year, The Ghanaian Times reported that victims of the floods at the Ashieyie-Fulani Last Stop had appealed to the government to urgently reconstruct the area, warning of the risk of another disaster if the protective road was again washed away.
Both Ms Nongo and Mr Ramadan, who expressed satisfaction with the progress of work, assured the contractor that steps would be taken to fast-track the payment process in order to enable him to complete the project on schedule.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
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