Civil engineer suggests immediate closure of some portions of Takoradi market
A civil engineer and a former lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Prof Augustus Addae-Mensah, has suggested the immediate closure of some portions of the Takoradi Market Circle structures which have developed serious cracks to avoid disaster.
His call comes in the wake of the recent Melcom Shopping Mall Disaster in Accra, which claimed 14 lives whilst many people got injured.
In an open letter to the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Takoradi, Prof. Addae-Mensah, said the dilapidated structures of the market could crumble at any time.
He, therefore, appealed to the city authorities to take proactive measures to save lives.
“My urgent appeal to the city engineers is to recommend an immediate closure of certain portions of the structure and vacation of all traders to enable immediate rehabilitation and repair works to be carried out,“ he said.
Prof. Addae-Mensah also appealed to the city authorities to seriously consider pulling down old abandoned private and state buildings as well as giving a facelift to the metropolis by improving the lightning system and road network.
He attributed the deplorable condition of the market and other private buildings in the twin-city to lack of maintenance and supervision as well as the salty atmospheric moisture content that had diffused profusely into the concrete structures thereby resulting in rusting of iron bars.
As a result of the metropolis’ closeness to the sea, the salt moisture content goes as far as 10 miles from the Gulf of Guinea northward and this calls for regular maintenance to avoid another disaster, he said.
“Takoradi is one of the areas in Ghana with the highest relative humidity level of 80 to 90 percent and I believe that all these factors contribute to the dilapidation”, he said.
Meanwhile, the ministries annex block in Takoradi occupied by the various state agencies and institutions including the Ghana News Agency, Geological Survey Department, Ghana Education Service, Rent Control and Community Development has developed serious cracks.
Some public and civil servants in the block trooped to the offices of the GNA in Takoradi to register their fear and worry.
They have, therefore, appealed to the Regional Coordinating Council, which have supervisory role over the block, to intervene to avert disaster.
Source: GNA