Asylum Down drain under repairs

Published in the Daily Graphic on 2/08/2010, pg 38

Story: Matilda Attram

THE Asylum Down drain in Accra is receiving attention from the city authorities based on the complaints made by residents in the area.
During a visit to the site of the drain by the Daily Graphic last week-end, it was observed that reconstruction work on the drain had started, following complaints by residents.
On June 17 this year, the Daily Graphic reported of the worries of residents of the Asylum Down locality on the poor state of the main drainage system in the area.
Most residents and users of the area complained about the bad state of the drain and how it could affect the area during rainfall.
They also complained of the bad stench from the drain due to the negative attitudes of others who used the it as their refuse dumps.
The drain, which serves as the main drainage system in the area, is said to be a hydraulic structure constructed to take and discharge a volume of water and other liquid waste.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, the Head of Drainage for the Hydrological Services Department, under the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Wise AMETEK, explained that the drain was originally constructed in the 1960’s in a trapezoidal shape with a nominal re-inforcement designed not to take loads.
He said the drain was in a bad state and collapsing on account of the large amount of pressure it received from residents who had built structures very close to it.
“People building very close to the drain transfer a lot of pressure onto it and that makes it fail to function,” he said.
He further stated that the structure also got weaker as a result of the bad manner through which liquid waste were discharged into it.
He added that the volume of liquid waste that flowed in through the structure had increased, making it difficult for the structure to perform its functions.
Mr Ametefe pointed out that plans were initiated to expand the structure to reduce the volume of pressure on the drains to enable it carry more flow but could not be done because of the encroachment of the banks of the structure by residents.
“Contractors even find it difficult to work on the drain because there are no spaces between the houses and the structure to allow easy passage during the re-construction of some parts,” he stated.
Due to this, he said, the authorities had been compelled to change the triangular shape of the structure to a rectangular one that would help increase its carriage capacity.
He described work on the structure as an emergency one, mentioning the lack of income as the cause of the delay in the restructuring process of the structure.
“The stretch of work to be done on it is very big but cannot be consistent due to the little money available to us now. In view of that, a request has been filed to government to provide funds for the work,” he added.
Mr Ametefe, therefore, advised residents to properly channel liquid waste into drains, observe space between their homes and the drain, as well as avoid throwing solid waste into the drain.

WITH PIX :
Pix showing the present state of the Asylum Down Drain under reconstruction.