The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has served evacuation notices to the owner of a four-storey building at Adabraka and residents of neighbouring houses following the detection of structural defects on the building which serves as a warehouse.
The notice of evacuation, dated November 28, 2016, was issued to the owner of the building, Alhaji Tudjani of City Choice Ghana Limited, after an inspection of the building by officials of the AMA.
The building, which is located close to the Evangel Assemblies of God Church, near the African University College of Communications (AUCC), has developed deep cracks.
Some residents think the building could collapse any time and, therefore, want it to be pulled down.
After the inspection, the AMA concluded that there was a structural failure which posed a danger to residents of buildings sharing boundaries with the storey building.
Evacuation notice
An 80-year-old resident of one of the neighbouring houses, Madam Georgina Agyare, told the Daily Graphic that some of the residents abandoned their homes two weeks ago when they heard a loud sound in the building about 7 p.m.
She said some spent the night with relatives elsewhere, while others slept in hotels.
She said the incident was immediately reported to the AMA, which sent a team to inspect the structure.
Madam Agyare said the AMA then advised occupants of the neighbouring houses to evacuate, since the four-storey building was a threat to public safety.
She said the affected residents, about 25 in her house alone, did not have anywhere to go to.
AMA report
A copy of the AMA evacuation notice made available to the Daily Graphic stated that upon a visual inspection by a joint team of engineers from the Accra Metropolitan Works Department and the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE), the team concluded that the said building had been rendered structurally unsound and was, therefore, a threat to public safety.
The evacuation notice from the AMA, signed by Mr V. T. Mensah, the Director of Works, said: You are hereby ordered to evacuate your premises immediately. You will be advised when it is safe for you to return.”
“The metropolitan assembly is working relentlessly to have the threat minimised or removed as soon as practicable. You may contact the undersigned for further and current updates,” it said.
Asked if they had made contact with the owner of the building since the issue came up, Madam Agyare said they did not know where the owner lived.
According to her, the building used to be a single-storey house until about five years ago when it was demolished and rebuilt into four-storeys.
She said work on it was completed about two years ago.
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