CRIES OF THE NEGLECTED – Akunduo needs a bridge badly

The Akunduo community is in a serious need of a bridge to enhance its socio-economic activities as well as save lives of its residents during the rainy seasons. The lack of a bridge over any of its surrounding rivers affects residents’ access to healthcare, school education and agricultural activities of farmers who cross over from other communities.

The community is sandwiched between two rivers which are fed with a number of tributaries. One river is along its eastern border and the other along its western border. The two rivers meet to form a confluence at the southern border thereby cutting the community away from the rest of the neighbouring communities and Bongo central where essential amenities such as schools, hospital, pharmacies (OTCs) and markets are located.

 

violent river water cuts off Akunduo at the peak of the rainy season

 

Over the years, lives have been lost due to the lack of a bridge. These included lives of people who needed emergency medical care and some who got drowned trying to cross the river during the rainy season.

Need we write about the loss of school time for children in the community?

During the 2023 BECE examination, for instance, some children had to move in the rain in the opposite direction of the exam centre all the way to Bongo-Soe to join the major road from there to return to their exam centre which is just across the river before their homes. Thus some of them had to travel about seven kilometers away from their homes before doing another eleven kilometers along the Bongo-Soe Road (making a total of 18km) to come to their school or exam centre. If there was a bridge, they would have covered about only one kilometer. They were all late for the examination. If the water does not subside, it would mean that they would sleep away in town or take the same route to return home. This is not an isolated case. It happens many times over the years. With this example, one can guess what happens to children’s education every rainy day.

Farming and other economic activities suffer. Aside farm produce within the community, Akunduo is a transit point to the forest where people of the district cultivate commercial farms. Transportation to and from the forest over the rivers is a challenge.

 

Video credits: ChannelOne TV