Over 100 residents of Aboi Nkwanta, a suburb of Samreboi in the Amenfi West Municipal Assembly, are still languishing in churches and being housed by good Samaritans, three days after their homes were submerged by floodwaters wrongfully channeled their way due to the activities of galamseyers.
Aboi Nkwanta and other suburbs of Samreboi are being battered by the activities of these illegal miners. Their operations have become so daring that they have ventured close to the major road leading out of Samreboi. Pits created for their activities lie dangerously close to residential areas, only a few meters away.
This unpatriotic group of young men and women conducts their “digging and washing” in some of these open pits. With no proper drainage to channel wastewater from the numerous pits, the runoff regularly pours onto the main road and in front of nearby houses.
Several complaints from residents to the Municipal Assembly about clamping down on these illegal miners have fallen on deaf ears, as their activities continue with careless abandon. This work is done openly.
A rainstorm last Friday swept through the pits, turning them into deadly puddles, and the water was unable to drain properly into nearby gutters. The running water then flooded nearby houses, sadly submerging over thirty of them to knee and waist level in some areas.
Properties valued at several thousand cedis have been lost. Victims had to seek shelter in nearby churches, with some staying with good Samaritans and relatives.
ConnectNews has been reliably informed that the municipal assembly is yet to extend any form of assistance to the victims, three days after the incident.
No vehicular movement
Sections of the road where the galamsey activities are occurring have now been washed away after Friday’s rainstorm.
At the time of filing this report, no vehicle had been able to access the affected stretch since Friday, leaving scores of commuters stranded.
Residents of both Aboi Nkwanta and nearby areas have been forced to use an alternative route that is long and winding. Drivers are now charging extra fares, and residents are at their wit’s end.
The majority are threatening to stay away from the upcoming elections if the activities of the galamsey miners are left unchecked; they also want the road fixed.
Source:onuaonline.com