By: Elorm Yao Aryee
Residents and businesses along portions of the coastline of the Volta Region fear losing their properties to tidal waves as the rainy season sets in.
The perennial natural disaster continue to have devastating effects on the livelihood of some citizens in the coastal areas of the region despite calls for a sea defense wall to minimize its impact.
During a two day working visit to the enclave, members of Parliament’s Committee on Works and Housing stressed the need for government to urgently initiate a sea defense project to safeguard lives and properties.
The perennial tidal waves has been an anathema to coastal communities in the Keta and Ketu South Municipalities and the Anlo District of the Volta Region. Though some parts of the coast have had the benefit of sea defense wall, many communities continue to suffer the dire consequence of sea erosion in the predominant fishing and salt mining area.
Though government has indicated that it has secured a 83 million dollar loan to execute the Blekusu phase two sea defense project works have not yet commenced.
Phase two of the project is a continuation of the phase one which ended at the boundary between Blekusu and Agavedzi.
The scope of work involves about 36 groins of sea defense wall on an 8 kilometer distance from Agavedzi to Denu in the Ketu South Municipality.
The two-day working visit of the Parliamentary Committee on Works and Housing follows a directive by the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Asiamah Amoako before Parliament went on recess.
The Members of Parliament for Keta, Ketu South and Anlo Constituencies have consistently raised concerns on the floor on government’s apparent aloofness to construct sea defense systems.
The Committee members toured Abutiakope at Keta, Agavedzi in the Ketu South Municipality and Atiteti in the Anlo District where residents fear their houses would be gone when the next tidal waves strike.
The ranking member of the Committee, Vincent Oppong Asamoah was not enthused with the level of destruction and called on government to swiftly intervene.
The Chairman of the Works and Housing Committee, Isaac Asiamah decried that the devastation has increased compared to the committee’s previous visit to the area two years ago.
He gave the assurance that the Committee will press home the demand for government to begin the new sea defense project.
