Traders at the Tema Community 1 Central Market traders have expressed worry over a sewage problem that have persisted in the over-60-year-market for some time.
According to them the current situation in the market is so bad that it needs immediate fixing or else a lot of them will have to suspend their trading activities until the problems are resolved.
Speaking to Kaakyire Kwabena Osei of Plan-B FM in the market, some of the traders noted that they are troubled by continued flow of human excreta from the frequent flow of effluent sewer from manholes bursts.
They explained that the sewerage system at the market has blasted with human excreta gushing through the market with associated pungent odour engulfing the entire market thereby making it uncomfortable for them especially those located closer to the burst manholes.
During Plan-B FM’s visit to the market today, Thursday, July 22, 2021, about 35 stores were affected by the outburst. Owners of those shops called the authorities Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) to ensure that the challenges are resolved immediately. They added that doing that will go a long way to help turn things around.
“We must resolve it immediately to avoid an outbreak of cholera, and other health problems, we are therefore appealing to the TMA, the Metro Health Authority and others involved in fixing the problem to get to work,” Mrs Cecilia Annan, a trader at the (barbar lane) Community one central market told Tema base radio station Plan B FM during the station’s tour of the market on hearing of the manhole burst.
Some of the traders also lamented that when it rains heavy the problem worsen , sewage and the rain water flowing through a channel over flows into their stores. “At times we loose some of our customers because of the challenge” some of them remarked.
They also explained that they have made several efforts to get the challenges in the market fixed; something they said has yet to be done by the appropriate quarters.
They claimed that, sometimes, the Assembly tasked them to contribute not less than GHS 10.00 each shop owners especially from those located within the affected part of the market. They said they will be happy to see the challenges fixed so they can continue with their trading.
Discussion about this post