Save communities from tidal waves!

It is now clear that tidal waves cannot be ruled out of decisions to wholly develop the country and bring some comfort to all the people.

This is because frequent tidal waves are giving sleepless nights to coastal residents, particularly in the Volta Region as well as parts of the Central and Western regions.

This is a perennial problem and more intense in the Ketu South District of the Volta Region as just recent records show that it has been suffering it continuously from 2017.

Therefore, in April last year, residents of Ketu South communities like Adina, Agavedzi, Amutinu, Blekusu and Salakorpe protested against challenges they were facing as a result of tidal waves and seeming lack of concern from officialdom.

Two months after the protest (in June), these communities suffered a devastation of tidal waves followed by another in November of the same year.

Unfortunately, months after the November disaster, on Sunday afternoon, tidal waves struck Agavedzi and Salakope in the Ketu South District.

The waves, as usual, have swept away homes and displaced affected people and also washed away sources of livelihoods of some of the people.

Being natural occurrences, tidal waves are difficult to control but not impossible to do anything about.

Studies have found that an offshore defence wall can, at least, reduce the wave heights, which means less  devastation.

The Ghanaian Times believes that it is on this basis that the government for decades has been working on a sea defence wall in Keta to contain the ravaging of the waves in the town and its surrounding communities.

This paper agrees with the affected communities that even though sea defence projects are very expensive, the government must source funding to continue work on the defence wall being built in the region.

This is a legitimate appeal judging from the trauma they go through on daily basis.

Some of the affected residents and others say the continuous ravaging of the sea has left them in constant fear and anxiety, which prevents them from sleeping soundly, not even in alternative accommodation offered them anywhere.

The residents of communities affected by the waves are appealing that if nothing done urgently, the whole communities along the coast will be swallowed up by the sea.

The Ghanaian Times is aware of the country’s budget constraints but anything to contain the waves must be prioritised to bring some solace and mental stability to the people.

Anytime disasters occur in this country, state officials visit victims and give them various promises of helping them to get out of their problems.

Most of the times, the officials’ actions and promises turn out to be charade as such officials, particularly the politicians among them, fail to return to such communities except during political campaigns.

On the basis of that, the Ghanaian Times wishes to appeal to 

the Municipal Chief Executive for Ketu South, Maxwell Lugudor, to ensure that the government’s commitment to addressing the perennial problem is solved once and for all is made a reality and not another empty promise by a state official, who must not have been authorised by the political establishment to speak on its behalf.

Also, this paper and other media outlets would monitor the commencement and progress of work on 15 units of two-bedroom self-contained accommodation the assembly intends to put up on a 37-acre land for people that have lost their homes to the ravaging sea.

The Ghanaian Times wishes to remind Mr Lugudor that the 37-acre land is too much for just 15 of the housing units he himself has described and so he should disclose its boundaries and all that will be done on it.

The country would not like to hear the story later that public officials have taken a larger part of it for their private use.