Over 5000 residents living around the troubled Weija-Kasoa Ridge on the banks of the Weija Dam in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region face imminent landslide in the likely event of a heavy rainfall or earthquake.
Some encroachers have been winning sand while others use explosives like dynamites to blast the rocks and sell them to contractors, which had weakened the base of the mountain.
The quarries apart from posing dangerous risks to residents have ripped off the beautiful geographical scenery of the ridge.
Tons of sand and rock have been ripped away by diggers, excavators and bulldozers to provide concrete for sale to prospective buyers
This has led to massive environmental destruction, big tunnels which go beneath the mountain. This is believed to measure about 40 meters deep with cracks on the walls showing, a clear evidence mountainous structure may cave in any time soon.
Walking through the curvy tunnel was very scary and adventurous at the same time. Rocks have tumbled already leaving in its wake narrow gorges.
The impact of the years of degradation has left a number of houses hanging on the ridge.
What makes the situation very dangerous is that the ridge is located at an earthquake-prone zone and earth tremors have occurred in the last few years raising serious concern about how residents and real estate developers continue to sell properties in the area.
The downstream is the Weija Lake which is incidentally where ECOWAS Express Highway passes.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency components of the Weija Ridge comprise sedimentary rocks inter-bedded with phyllites and quartz. Anytime it rained the clay that held the Ridge together often get softened and the silt is washed downstream, choking drains along the Kasoa-Accra road.
Though the Ga South Municipal Assembly has placed warning signs at various quarry sites to prevent people from engaging in further activities, unfortunately, the smart encroachers have moved to the blindside of the ridge a location between Tuba and Kokrobite and currently carrying on their activities.
Source: myjoyonline.com
