The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio has revealed the Appiatse Reconstruction Implementation Team has designed a new spatial plan for the Appiatse Community.
According to the Minister, the Implementation Team is working in deep consultation with the citizens of the town and its leaders as well as professionals from the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority to redesign the Appiatse township
Addressing Journalists, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio said "This plan makes room for additional social spaces like transportation terminals, clinics, schools, markets and expansion of roads"
He also added that the implementation team have also secured temporary structures at Odumase, a nearby community.
The Deputy Minister stressed that as the country enters the rainy season, it is clear that affected citizens cannot remain in tents at Appiatse.
"Working together with Future Global Resources Company Limited, (FGR) we have secured structures for a planned relocation as a temporary shelter for the Appiatse citizens"
"We are currently preparing road designs with costs estimates for the Ministry of Roads and Highways. Those of you who may have visited the community know that there was a good amount of work to be done regarding Appiatse roads"
He noted that, the explosion also did some considerable damage to roads that were otherwise in good shape.
He mentioned that in building Appiatse back, it must include the roads in the community.
"A Request for Proposals will go out on Monday, 28th March 2022 for interested contractors to bid for the designing and construction of buildings. We expect to start construction by the end of April, 2022"
Hon. Owusu-Bio told Journalists that there are many other activities that have been done over the last two months.
"I want to thank the citizens of Appiatse for their resilience and the warm cooperation they have offered as we work with them to rebuild their town"
"I want to especially thank the Chief of the area and his elders, the Regional Minister Hon. Okyere Darko and the Municipal Chief Executive of the Prestea Huni Valley Municipality, Dr. Isaac Dasmani for their immense leadership during this period. I also want to thank the team and the many government agencies, departments and personnel who have worked with us during this period"
It will be recalled that earlier this year, the country witnessed a disaster that left all shaken, both literally and figuratively.
A vehicle conveying explosives for mining was involved in an accident and the materials being transported erupted.
The devastation that was caused was been captured by citizens in snippets of videos and pictures that went viral.
"We have all been witnesses to the tremendous work that the fire service, police, and other first responders did in the immediate aftermath of the event. On behalf of the country, I wish to express our gratitude to them. But after the initial response, is rebuilding"
The Appiatse Reconstruction Implementation Team was created to do the big and important job of rebuilding the town and other affected communities.
The Reconstruction Implementation Team has been working around the clock on its mandate.
On her part, the Chairman of the Appiatse Support Fund Committee, Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee who sat in the briefing shared a few thoughts saying "part of leaving out portions of the community untouched, like the hills and mountains, is part of the green concept that the President would like us to implement"
"In addition, having these very narrow roads, to encourage walking and bicycling, is also part of the Green idea because the more vehicles we use, the more carbon monoxide we put out, the more we destroy the environment and the planning has taken all these into account" She added.
Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee applauded the Reconstruction Committee on their progress made while beckoning the general public saying that global warming is not "European" and therefore "all hands must be on deck to ensure it's eradication and all these presentations tell us that this is real and therefore we must come together to get this project done".
She hinted that her Committee will soon meet the media, providing details on funds collected and also jaw-jaw on how to solicit more funds for the project, adding that it's not always about the quantum but the ability to sustain the inflow of contributions.
Mr. Mohammed Alhassan Damba, the Director for Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Land Usage and Spacial Planning Authority (LUPSA), gave a detailed presentation on the redesigned local plan for the Appiatse Reconstruction on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kwadwo Yeboah, who is also a member of the committee.
In his presentation, he noted that the plan which has been designed to accommodate about 870 people on 205.64 acres of land seeks to forster a vibrant human environment by balancing residential land use with complementary land meant for commercial, industrial and public services.
He said to a large extent, the plan maintains the pre-disaster cultural settings and lifestyle of the people, providing four different varying land sizes; 185sqm, 279sqm, 372sqm, 585sqm and access networks that promote walkability to keep the community closely knit.
Mr. Damba alerted that to incorporate sustainability and climate resilience principles, 15% of the total land area has been earmarked as places for ecological assets such as water ways, green parks and green reserves in wetlands and hilly areas, adding that tree planting corridors have also been provided along major roads.
Mr. Blankson Hemans, a member of the team and representative from the Ghana Institute of Architects gave a brief presentation on the way foward, clearly stating that the road networks within the settlements are the first construction works that will begin the entire project in April ending.
He explained that from the plan design, the team will be moving on to designing the actual houses which has warranted the requests for proposals from contractors for the reconstruction.
Detailing the number of houses expected in the new Appiatse Commmunity, Mr. Hemans said 124 houses will be erected in the core area of the community flattened completely by the explosion, plus some other 292 building which will be simply retouched, bringing the total number of houses to be constructed to 416 houses of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 bedroom apartments.
In a recent interview with the BBC, The Hon. Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor announced that the reconstruction of the Model Appiatse community will be completed in a space of 12 months and this timeframe, the reconstruction committee is committed to meet.
Below are some pictures:
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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