The Member of Parliament for Ketu South, Dzifa Gomashie, is appealing to the government to facilitate immediate resumption of work on the Keta sea defence project following the latest destruction caused by tidal waves in Keta,
At least 3,000 people in the Keta municipality have been rendered homeless after tidal waves swept through their homes on Sunday. Communities such as Abutiakope, Kedzikope and Keta Central were largely affected with residents left with nothing to salvage.
Speaking in Parliament, Gomashie said: “I want His Excellency the president to hear me too, I will speak, he can’t say he hasn’t heard it. I am urging this House to stand with the people of Ketu South, stand with us in this time of grief, in this time of devastation, cold counsel never warms any body’s heart.”
She added: “What will warm our hearts is to see that indeed the contractors have moved to site, but indeed within the shortest possible time, the so-called place that has been found will have a temporary structure to ensure the people have some where to lay their heads.”
Illegal sand winning
Meanwhile, the Executive director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, is blaming the latest tidal wave in Keta partly to the increasing activities of illegal sand winners along the coastal areas.
Speaking to Nana Yaa Mensah on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (8 November), Kokofu said: “It is quite disturbing, that has been the warning that we have got to be very careful.”
“Recently we were in the news battling some people winning sand and exporting them illegally to Togo to go and sell and so once you do all these things, you are encouraging this degradation, and you are encouraging the sea tidal waves to invade on the land and cause havoc.”
He added: “So, our attitude as a people is a major thing to look at. It has to do with awareness creation and education and applying the law by punishing the wrongdoer.”
The EPA boss is also advocating for a review of the way sea defence wall is built in addressing the tidal wave menace.
“Going forward we have got to look at the whole concept of sea defence wall and the construction methods. The escalation of the tidal wave as a result of climate change is somehow a cause… but the practical way is to stop the sand winning,” Kokofu said.
Fred Dzakpata
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