Rejuvenating the city of Tema

By Benjamin Glover | Saturday, 21 June 2014 08:39 | Category: features - See more at: http://graphic.com.gh/features/features/25660-rejuvenating-the-city-of-tema.html#sthash.CP2mRnIg.dpuf Rejuvenating the city of Tema By Benjamin Glover | Saturday, 21 June 2014 08:39 | Category: features 8 5 0 The Tema Settlement was planned and built using the neighbourhood concept of town planning. Under this scheme, the various communities were designed to have key amenities to make them self-sufficient and not become dependent on other communities. However, over a period of time and as a result of population growth and the growing numbers of commercial establishments in the city, the social infrastructure that is in place has become overstretched, a situation requiring that the city authorities either modernise and expand facilities or curtail the fast spread of existing commercial entities as a way to possibly rejuvenate the metropolis and contain the present demands of the residents. Sewage In fact, a major challenge facing residents of the metropolis concerns the occasional leakage of sewage into the various communities. The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Isaac Ashia Odamtten, has said that the unfortunate situation emerged because of the indiscriminate erection of building structures on sceptic tanks, on ageing drainage systems, as well as the use of inappropriate materials for waste collection and their disposal in unauthorised places. He said the drainage systems, for instance, needed replacement. He said workers of waste management companies were occasionally deployed to the affected communities and suburbs to clean up the choked drains to allow waste water to flow freely through them. Clean Tema campaign At a recent public function at the Lorenz Wolf Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Mr Odamtten appealed to the clergy in Tema to use the pulpit to launch a crusade against the indiscriminate littering of the environment. He also called on them to partner the assembly to propagate the ‘Clean Tema’ agenda by advocating the need to keep the environment clean. He stressed that if everyone did the right thing by putting litter into appropriate litter bins, the TMA would make significant savings that could be used to improve on infrastructure such as schools, clinics and markets. According to Mr Odamtten, the determination to turn Tema into a clean metropolis was one of the eight thematic areas his administration was focusing on. Under the circumstances, residents are encouraged to clean gutters, streets and major market centres whenever the assembly organises clean-up exercises. The other seven areas of interest by the metropolitan assembly are on waste management, clean markets and lorry parks, security and safety, governance and social service, tourism and cultural exchange and infrastructure development. Street lighting The MCE disclosed that plans were also afoot to improve street lighting in the various communities and also install new ones for beautification of the environment and security. He was concerned that a large expanse of residential and commercial areas of the city were under darkness at night due to the lack of street lights. A number of residents have complained about the rising incidences of crime, including robbery, and have attributed the rise in the menace to the dark surroundings at night and for which criminals use to their advantage. Markets From initial designs of the metropolis, the city has a number of commercial centres spread across the city. They include markets for Tema Communities one, two, four, five, seven, eight, nine, Tema Mahean, fishing harbour, Sakumono and Texpo areas. Sad to say that although these markets appear to be vibrant, many of them are either congested or are suffering from weak structures. Following from this, a lot of pressure has been brought to bear on the central business area in Community One. The situation here is further compounded by vehicular traffic and congestion. The spill-over trading activities into the communities is evidenced in the proliferation of commercial shops and stores, many of them being wooden structures and disused shipping containers sited in unauthorised locations within the metropolis. The TMA plans to restructure and upgrade all commercial centres in the city, particularly in those communities lying on the boundaries of the metropolis. According to the TMA, an audit conducted on markets in the city revealed that they were either dormant because the place was not well-demarcated to attract customers or that the absence of an adjoining transport terminal served as a disincentive to the public. Construction of modern transport terminal The TMA has plans to construct a modern transport terminal for Tema. When completed, it is expected to address vehicular congestion at the Tema Community One main market and also bring to a minimum the chaotic situation that commuters face on a daily basis. The proposed project is earmarked to be constructed along the Site Two and Site 20 stretch of the Tema-Akosombo road. Reaction from residents Some residents in Tema, who spoke to the Daily Graphic, lauded the assembly for initiating the development projects but charged the assembly to back to their words with action and endeavour to make their aspirations a reality. They were of the opinion that the successful roll out of these plans, when well-executed, would result in a reduction in congestion and address the inadequacy of public transport space. “Many years gone past, Tema used to be a very beautiful city, but what do we see of Tema now? It is a far cry from its previous state. We have a lot to do and it is our collective responsibility as inhabitants to ensure that the city is restored to its former glory,” said a resident, Mr Daniel Abeiku Sam. A trader at the Community Nine market, Madam Akosua Oppong, bemoaned the deplorable state of the market and was optimistic that the new projects the assembly would be putting up would bring relief to the people. back to top - See more at: http://graphic.com.gh/features/features/25660-rejuvenating-the-city-of-tema.html#sthash.csMLBrXZ.dpuf