Block making businesses spring up at Cape Coast beaches
The Cape Coast Metropolitan Police Command has given residents at fishing communities in the metropolis , who have molded cement blocks near the beaches, up to the weekend to relocate the blocks or have them confiscated.
Communities where such mini block making enterprises have sprung up and predominantly gaining roots, in addition to sand winning include Amoakofua, Amanful, Brofoyedur, Ekon and their surrounding suburbs.
Canoes and fishing nets which should be the centre of attraction at such fishing communities have been outshined by hundreds of cement blocks packed and waiting to be loaded away, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) has observed.
Chief Superintendent Samuel Winful, Metropolitan Police Commander, in an interview during a visit to some of the communities on Tuesday said the ultimatum followed appeals by some community leaders after the command commenced an anti-sand winning operation.
He said the operation dubbed “wonnhyia blocks” to wit “blocks are not supposed to be seen” was an initiative of the police command and Nana Kwame Menya, Nkyidonhen of the Oguaa Traditional Area to curb the practice at the beaches.
He bemoaned the extent of damage sand winning and its related activities were fast deteriorating the beaches, stressing that, if care was not taken very soon all the communities along the coast would have to relocate.
He said his command in collaboration with Nana Menya had dedicated themselves to the fight against sand winning and would not relent in ensuring that the coastal front was reclaimed to prevent any disaster.
“We are always on the move… sometimes we receive calls at midnight that some persons were at the beach and we quickly move to the location… We arrest those we meet and vehicles of those who escape are towed to the station”
Chief Superintendent Winful disclosed that some residents at Abakam, a fishing community en route Elmina had started removing the stones used to build a sea- defence and that several interventions had been put in place to arrest such person and “when caught, they won’t be spared”.
He said as part of measures to clamp down on sand winning, some resident had been encouraged to dig trenches on the path used by the tipper trucks to win sand at night and so far some of such drivers whose trucks got stuck in the trenches have been arrested.
The Police had also initiated an operation dubbed “ Wonhyiaa Preko” to wit “ Pigs are not supposed to be seen” as part of measures to control the increasing rate at which pigs loiter around in the metropolis.
“Pig farmers, especially at the coast have been cautioned to keep their animals in their sty and if we see them loitering around in town, we will kill them”
When the team got to Brofoyedur, some residents were busily carting sand and while others were loading some of the blocks into a vehicles and at the sight of the police, those carting sand dived into the sea.
Some residents told the GNA that they were into the business since they could not find any other employment option.
At a community near Ekon, a tipper truck was chanced upon carting sand and at the sight of the police, the driver absconded leaving behind the truck.
Source: GNA