Angry residents block contractor after crash on dusty road leaves one dead

Angry residents of Huhunya in the Yilo Krobo Local Government Area of ​​the Eastern Region on Friday blocked a section of the Asesewa-Koforidua road in protest over the excessive amount of dust generated by the ongoing roadworks.

The protest by Huhunya residents on Friday was sparked by a fatal accident the day before, which left one villager dead and another fighting for his life.

A commercial vehicle collided with their motorbike, but local residents blamed the accident on poor visibility due to dusty road conditions.

The community has been facing these conditions for the past three years as the contractor worked slowly.

In response, angry neighborhood youth built four-speed ramps using sand and gravel to regulate the speed of vehicles, especially the trucks used by the construction company.

Residents accused the construction company of failing to adhere to environmental and safety measures, such as continuously watering the road to reduce dust.

This neglect forced many shops to close, reduced visibility and led to respiratory diseases among residents, especially children.

Isaac Tetteh Kwame, leader of Huhunya, expressed his frustration on GHOne TV.

“They started this road three years ago, but the work is going very slowly. Since then, dust has destroyed businesses here. We are getting various respiratory diseases; our children are sick. Go to the clinic and see. So we want the contractor to spray the road for us to reduce the dust,” he said.

A community opinion maker accused the contractor of ignoring the well-being of the community.

“They should water the road. We are advocating that we are not against the construction of the road; it is going to help us. So what we are saying is that they should water the road for us so that the diseases that we get from it, especially coughing and all, should stop,” he lamented.

Some residents also complained about the negative impact of the dusty roads on economic activities.

Mavis Dede Donkor, local councillor for the area, said the contractor, after consultation with the police, has agreed to regularly water parts of the road in the community.

She said the community is waiting for the contractor to honour the agreement to prevent unrest from escalating.

Man disguises himself as woman to catch cheating wife