Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing touring the coastal communities

MPs tour communities hit by tidal waves in V/Region

Alberto Mario Noretti May - 15 - 2024 , 09:56

Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing have toured Keta, Ketu South Municipality and the Anloga District in the Volta Region to observe at first hand the devastation caused by tidal waves in those areas.

The team also inspected work on the sea defence project along the coastline. The Chairman of the committee, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, said after the tour that immediate measures were required to save the coast, adding that the trend of erosion posed a serious threat to the communities and livelihoods of the people.

He said it was imperative that the government take pragmatic steps to prevent further damage to the coastal belt in the broader national interest. Mr Asiamah cited the case of Abutiakope, which he said had virtually been wiped out by the sea, and added that the extent of wreckage painted a picture of a bleak future for the people of the area.

He said the committee was concerned of the trend of erosion because the coast had rich historical and cultural heritage that were attached to those communities. The MP for Ho West, Emmanuel Kwesi Bedzra, wondered why they still needed $83 million to continue with the sea defence project when $10 million was said to have been used for feasibility studies of the project already.

He also claimed that it was unfair the project was not put on tender, but rather awarded directly to a contractor. The MP said it was high time the government took a bold decision to address the issue.

The MP for Anlo, Richard Kwami Sefe, renewed his call on the Volta River Authority (VRA) to dredge the estuary in southern Volta to create a receptacle for flood water. For her part, the MP for Ketu South, Dzifa Gomashie, said they would continue to raise the issue in parliament until the problem was addressed.

The visit by the lawmakers was at the instance of the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, following several pleas by MPs of those constituencies for an immediate intervention by the government to halt the ravages of the sea on the communities.