Rain Floods Area Around China Afri Mall in Koforidua, Strands Commuters

A short spell of heavy rain on Tuesday night left parts of the newly opened China Afri Mall in Koforidua under water, halting traffic and leaving many commuters stuck, as first reported by Citi News.

The downpour, which lasted roughly 45 minutes on 10 November, submerged roads and major junctions around the commercial facility in the New Juaben South Municipality of the Eastern Region.

According to the report, the worst-hit spots were the traffic light junction near the mall, the area around Newlands Hospital and the surroundings of Dadis Bar. All three have been identified as places prone to flooding.

Drivers, pedestrians and others who rely on the route for daily travel were affected, with vehicles battling to move through the waterlogged streets.

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Sources quoted by Citi News said hundreds of commuters and passers-by were inconvenienced. Some voiced worry about flooding that keeps returning and what they see as a failure to fix drainage in the area.

Residents and road users have asked why the problem around the mall has not been properly dealt with, despite concerns previously raised by regional authorities.

Citi News sources link the flooding to disagreements over the management of the mall and to the need to rebuild narrow culverts at the junction before the facility opened for business.

The Eastern Regional Minister and the Regional Security Council had reportedly instructed the traditional authorities and the mall's management to reconstruct the culverts so that stormwater could drain more freely and the flood risk would be reduced.

Those instructions were allegedly not carried out before the mall began operating, the report said, raising questions about how the directives were enforced and which parties were responsible for the work.

Some road users have criticised the traditional authorities, accusing them of ignoring the directives from regional officials.

The commuters believe the failure to carry out the required drainage improvements has added to the repeated flooding, especially when rain is heavy.