The Eastern Regional Security Council has temporarily suspended the ongoing construction of a China Mall in the New Juaben South Municipality following flooding concerns raised by local residents and motorists.

The decision follows heavy flooding at the construction site — located opposite Newlands Hospital at Kenkey Factory near the Dadis Bar traffic intersection — which recently overflowed onto the main road and disrupted vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

This is the third time city authorities have halted work on the development due to the developers' alleged failure to comply with previous directives to construct proper drainage systems and culverts.

The project, which began in early 2025, has drawn consistent criticism from the public. Residents and road users have accused the Municipal Assembly and the Regional Coordinating Council of negligence for allowing construction to take place within a riparian zone.

During a site visit on Friday, May 22, the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, accompanied by police officers and engineers from the Regional Urban Roads Department, ordered the immediate suspension of all construction activities.

She directed the police to enforce the shutdown and instructed the developers to collaborate with the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly and the Urban Roads Department to resolve all engineering and drainage issues before work can resume.