Passengers risk lives on Volta Lake despite availability of water bus

In spite of the introduction of the water bus which travels between Agordeke in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District in the Eastern Region to Kpando Torkor in Kpando in the Volta Region, many patrons of the route continue to risk their lives travelling on the lake by engine boat.

About seven of such boats were operating between the two towns in the absence of the water bus and the pontoon, but since the arrival of the bus, all the canoes, except one, have withdrawn their operations at Agordeke following a directive from the Kwahu Afram Plains North District Assembly. 

Deviant operator

The one that currently defies the directive and keeps on operating, with the inscription, “Dzigb Jbi”, does not have a single life jacket in the event of any disaster.

The owners of the boat, who normally hang around the lorry station, convince the passengers to patronise their services because they are operating express services.

Consequently, the water bus, named Akpini Princess, which has been brought to the area as a stopgap while the pontoon is being worked on, currently operates below capacity. Sometimes the bus moves empty, especially from Kpando, to berth at Agordeke.

Risky activities

The Assembly Member for Agordeke, Mr Felix Bless Edze, has therefore been battling with the boat operators, describing their activities as risky and dangerous to the lives of the people.

He said it was wrong for the boat to embark on such a long journey on water without life jackets and appealed to the district assemblies at the two sides to stop the activities of the operators.

“It is important to stop them because, in the event of any disaster on the water, the government will be dragged into it and people will be blaming the government for inaction,” he explained.

He said the boat in question “is not even as strong and new as some of those which have heeded to the directives of the assembly,” adding that the operators of that particular boat had defied several warnings not to continue to put the lives of the people in danger.

Life jackets

Mr Edze explained that before the arrival of the water bus, the assembly had provided life jackets to all those operating the canoes fitted with engine boats, “but since the water bus commenced operations, we have retrieved all the life jackets from them.”  

DCE

The District Chief Executive for  Kwahu Afram Plains North, Mr Windham Emil Afram, said it was for the safety and comfort of passengers that the government introduced the water bus awaiting the pontoon and described the activities of the passengers as unfortunate.

He said it was left to the passengers to value their lives by differentiating between the water bus and the boat, especially when they knew the implications of travelling on a boat for such a long distance.

The DCE said the assembly could not stop the boats from operating but the only way to address the current situation was to educate the passengers on the implications of patronising the boat instead of the water bus. 

Views of passengers and natives

Some of passengers who spoke separately to the Daily Graphic said even though they were in a hurry, they could not afford to risk their lives when a safer and more convenient means of transport was available.

Natives of Agordeke appealed to the government to expedite action on bringing back the pontoon, which they believed could attract people to the town.

A taxi driver, Mr Kweku Gayibor; a fishmonger, Madam Victoria Gamor, and a kenkey seller, Ms Cynthia Badasu, all expressed the conviction that if the pontoon starts operations, their businesses would boom.

Mr Gayibor said the people of Agordeke were hardworking and only needed the right environment “and a little push and we can perform wonders”.