Ayawaso West stops Dumelo from dredging gutters, requires permit

The Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly has ordered National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon, John Dumelo to stop dredging gutters in the municipality.

According to Mr. Dumelo, the Assembly communicated to him over the weekend to halt the move for failing to seek permission from the outfit before the commencement of the activity.

“They told me to stop the work that I’m doing and report to their office so that I formally seek permission to dredge the gutter in West Legon,” he told GhanaWeb.

Dumelo smells something fishy as he stated in the interview that “I suspect it’s an attempt to frustrate my efforts. The people have complained over the years for the gutter to be desilted because when it rains it floods, and when it floods, properties and lives are lost. I can’t sit there unconcerned. I must listen to my people and take action.”

On June 10, Dumelo began facilitating the dredging of a big gutter at West Legon. The decision to start work on dredging the gutter, he said, was informed by a promise he made to the community when he paid a visit to assess the discomfort residents face whenever it rains.

The politician admitted the dredging will not solve the issue completely. The long-term plan, he indicated, is to raise the Christian Village bridge. According to him, “the bridge is low and so when it rains, all the debris and everything collects and that’s how come the water levels here rise up.

“This is Ayawaso West and it’s not fair. I’m an action person; once I said I’ll do it; I’ll do it to be able to help the people. To be honest, what we are doing today is not going to help the people 100% but it’s going to help them at least 30 or 40%,” he said at the scene, Wednesday.

Some members of the community excited about the development expressed gratitude to the politician for the effort to ease their plights.

On the back of the directive by the Assembly, Dumelo told GhanaWeb he is ready to do the needful because he has the interest of the residents at heart.

He said: “If per the assembly laws I have to seek permission to dredge I will, but if I don’t need any permission, I will continue to dredge and save lives.”

Attempts to get a response from the Assembly have proven futile.