Government has plans for residents of Volta’s coastline – Officials
Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) of Ketu South, Keta and Anloga have assured residents in coastal communities of government’s commitment to find lasting solutions to the perennial sea erosion.
They said contrary to claims by some affected residents that the state was looking on while devastating effects of the sea kept threatening the existence of communities along the region’s coast, government was concerned about the plight of the people and committed to continuing with the sea defence project.
The MDCEs spoke in an interview with the Ghana News Agency following another incident of tidal wave’s attacks over the weekend in some communities in the region’s three coastal districts barely four months after similar attacks.
In November last year, sea water flooded homes rendering about 4,000 people homeless, and destroyed properties including school buildings.
Mr Maxwell Koffie Lugudor, MCE for Ketu South said he had been working around the clock to get a temporary shelter provided for the victims of the disaster to alleviate their sufferings pending the start of the phase 2 of the sea defence project to secure the shoreline and protect the remaining buildings from destruction.”
“I visited the island around the Amutinu-Salakope and Agavedzi area seeking to work on an extension of electricity to the location in readiness for the proposed construction of a temporary shelter for victims of the tidal disturbances. I was traveling to Accra the next day on that issue when I got news of the weekend’s disaster.
What I want my people to know is that the government is concerned about them and has plans for them. We have worked to secure funding for the construction of an initial 15×2 bedroom house for these victims. A sea defence wall needs to be constructed from where it is set in Aflao to secure the entire coastline from the sea’s devastation, and it involves lots of money. But while we work towards that, we need to first get a place for them.”
Mr Emmanuel Gemegah, MCE for Keta who went round to see some areas affected by the weekend’s incident just like his other counterparts, said the Assembly would continue to be with the people in their predicament noting, while government would not sit unconcerned, residents ought to play safe to reduce the impact of tidal disturbances.
“We are working on projects to construct new sea defences in areas that are prone to the devastating effects of high tidal waves. The government has already earmarked some amount of money for feasibility studies after which more resources will be committed to finding a lasting solution to the problem.
It is my humble appeal to people developing new buildings or intending to have new development close to the sea to have a rethink to lessen the impact of the tidal disturbances on them in times of disaster.”
Source: GNA