The member of Parliament for Mpraeso and deputy ranking member of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC), Davis Ansah Opoku, is calling on the government to relocate the Weija tollbooth immediately. This, he believes, has caused encroachment and pollution of the area around the weija dam due to the economic activities.
He was speaking at the Public Accounts Hearing when the Minister of Roads & Highways, Hon. Kwesi Amoako Atta and his deputies appeared before the committee.
The young legislature said that "the area is a buffer zone created to protect the Weija Lake and was compulsorily acquired by the Republic of Ghana as a 'no-go' area. However, the Weija tollbooth has attracted structures including mechanical garages and carports which has attracted massive commercial and trading activities that pollute the Lake."
Mr Opoku Ansah, who also serves as a member of the works & Housing committee of Parliament, said, "The tollbooth and the explosion of trading activities are therefore not compatible with the water resources conservation and production of treated water for communities including Accra."
Weija Dam serves 60% of the population of Accra and several communities in the Central Region. The continuous pollution of the river body is a looming danger for the state.
On his part, the Minister for Roads & Highways, Hon. Amoako admitted to the relocation of the tolbooth and reiterated the importance of the weija dam to the people living in Accra and some central regions. He said, "The ministry is currently engaged in relocating some tool booths due to urbanisation, and it is being considered." He added that the tolbooth contributes to the building up of traffic on the national highway 1.
Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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This is long over due. I have been wondering what happens to cars who ply on roads where no tollbooths are erected. Simply add the expected revenues from tollbooths and share among all cars in the country as road worthy fee renewable every year and the root cause of traffic, pollution and fuel wastage will be removed. It is so inhumane to spend 1 hour in traffic wasting 25 to 50 cedis worth of fuel only to pay 50pesewas tollbooth fee.
Apart from the harm it is causing in terms of water pollution, the traffic situation is terrible, i spend almost 45min. to an hour just to pay Ghs1.00 as toll to and from work 6 days a week. this is so stressful, tiring , and very in human. something must be done real quick otherwise i foresee an uprising. we are all citizens
Government can bill every car owner, yearly or quarterly and do away with the tollbooth
This is very necessary and immediate actions need to be taken. I only thought of the toll booth causing traffic which delays labor hours; but never know it was also causing harm to the lake. Those of us plying that rout daily to work are suffering, the government must take action now. Thank you honorable Minister.