Chief orders shutdown of school over dust pollution

The Chief of Yawhima in the Sunyani East Constituency of the Bono Region has ordered the shutdown of Yawhima SDA Primary School over dust pollution emanating from the construction of the road from the area to Chira.

According to the chief, the pollution levels due to the construction site is not healthy for the children.

Nana Ansu Ababio assigned these reasons for the school's closure when he narrated his people's plight in an interview with the host of Ghana Yensom morning show, Odeyeeba Kofi Essuman, on Accra 100.5 FM on Friday, February 24, 2023.

"For this reason, I, together with the Assemblymen decided to have the school shut down.

"We cannot wait for the children to start complaining of respiratory diseases and lead to their death before the contractor is directed to do the needful," he worryingly said.

He said just about a month ago, a boy at Kotokrom died as a result of the dust he inhaled from the activities of the construction.

He minced no words to say when the boy died the Sunyani MCE together with the Municipal Director of Education visited the area and distributed nose masks to the students and gave directives to the contractor to periodically water the road but the area around Yawhima SDA school is not watered.

"As this is not enough, every day, tipper trucks loaded with sand ply the roads and the Assembly take their daily tolls from them but does not think of watering the road to minimise the dust levels," he bemoaned.

For his part, the Municipal Chief Executive for the Sunyani Municipal Assembly, Mr Ansu Kumi, pleaded with the chief to exercise restraint for the Assembly to take up the matter with the contractor.

He pleaded with the chief to engage the Assembly in matters of this nature.

"It's only fair for the Assembly to be informed about some of these challenges," he said.

He promised to ensure the school is reopened by meeting the chief and Assembly members tomorrow and the road watered for the safety of the children.