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Sanitation Minister cautions encroachers on ECG lands in Kumasi

Ms Cecilia Abenaa Dapaah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, has cautioned private developers to stay away from the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG) transmission site at Adoato, in the Ashanti Region.

Encroachers had taken over most of the transmission sites/lands and, with some of the buildings directly under the high tension lines, and according to the Minister, “if immediate action is not taken to remove the encroachers from the site, quarter of the region could be without electricity and water supply, very soon”.

The transmission cables at the site powered the Owabi Dam Plant, indicating that the dam served about half of Kumasi.

Ms Dapaah stressed that; “These cables on this site, powers the Owabi Dam, and we don’t want this catastrophe to happen, so we are here today to be proactive and warn whoever has encroached to stop,” she cautioned.

She gave the caution when she led a team from the Ministry, Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), as well as ECG to pay a working visit to the site to have a first-hand information on the situation.

The ECG had warned of an imminent power and water crisis within the Greater Kumasi area if stringent measures were not instituted to check encroachment on lands bordering transmission sites and power lines.

She said it was worrying as the situation was adversely affecting the ECG operations, including regular maintenance works, as people have encroached on their network, substations, lines and cables.

The Minister assured that her outfit would collaborate with the relevant stakeholders to ensure a lasting solution to the problem.

Mr Frederick Kwabena Bediako, General Manager for Network projects at ECG, Ashanti, said the situation was seriously affecting the operations of the power company, hence the need for immediate action to forestall the challenges.

He hinted that the ECG was working hard to construct a wall to cordon off their property, and take steps from the directive of the Regional Coordinating Council (REGSEC) to go to court to re-claim their property.

FROM KINGSLEY E. HOPE, KUMASI

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