Residents of Assin Aworoso in the Assin South District of the Central Region have expressed worry about the poor state of the only wooden bridge on River Onwa that links about 18 communities.
According to the aggrieved residents, the dilapidated bridge threatens the lives of those who commute on it.
They said the inability of vehicles to use the bridge has resulted in farmers carrying farm produce on their heads over long distances before crossing the bridge.
The direst situation for residents is carrying sick persons who need urgent medical attention on foot since vehicles can’t access the bridge, which worsens their condition due to the delays.
A resident said, “when the river overflows, the water reaches our waist level. We cannot go and come, especially the children, unless we wait for the river to recede before we all can attend to our activities. This is our major road, so it really causes us problems when it rains.”
A former assembly member of the area, Mr. Benjamin Amoaning, revealed that three people have died following the poor state of the bridge.
He said one Madam Banafo, a farmer, was bitten by a snake while working on his farm, but they could not cross the river to transport her to the hospital for medical care because the river had overflowed its banks then.
As a result, the woman died.
He added that another woman and a student also died through a similar ordeal.
Students usually lose lesson hours whenever it rains because they have to wait until the water subsides, a situation Mr Amoaning said had dire consequences on students’ academic performance.
Meanwhile, the Krontihene of Assin Aworoso, Nana Kwame Amantey, said all efforts to get the attention of the authorities of Assin South have proven futile.
He, therefore, appealed to benevolent organizations and well-meaning individuals to come to their aid by helping them fix the ‘death trap bridge’ to avoid the danger it poses, especially to their children.