Engineer Abdulai Mahama, a building and road consultant, has called on government to prioritize the continuation and construction of the sea defence along coastal towns and communities in the country.
According to him, it is imperative for government to tackle “the lowest areas” and treat it “as a matter of urgency” by allocating funds for those particular areas. He explained that once just a section of the shore is blocked leaving a low-lying area susceptible, there will “be an ingress of water” into the communities.
Following the destruction of properties caused by tidal waves in some communities in the Keta Municipality in the Volta Region, Ing Mahama explained that due to the rising sea levels any “devastation” it causes must be embraced by persons living close to the shoreline.
“This is not a surprise to me, however. But, my worry is that at a point in time, like Salagope and those areas, once the water is going across the road to the lagoon, people will be trapped… We would have to continue with the construction of the sea defence… I pre-empted that we may have to widen the base of the sea defence because there’s a likelihood that we are going to increase the height”.
Ing Abdulai Mahama
Commenting on the impact of global warming and activities by other countries on the country, Ing Mahama emphasized that these are the few things we are going to face. He noted that Ghana alone cannot do “anything significant” to reduce the entire global warming.
Ing Mahama iterated that although towns and villages with low-lying topography will bear the greatest brunt of tidal wave, some communities along the coastal belt from Axim to Aflao are “fortunate” and it will take quite some time before they will be “visited” by the tidal waves.
Government expresses commitment to support residents
Meanwhile, the Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has disclosed that government is working assiduously to avert tidal waves from reoccurring and urged coastal residents to avoid practices that exposes them to the vagaries of the rising sea levels.
According to him, there have been reported cases of sand mining, uprooting of mangroves along the coastal stretch. Mr Asenso-Boakye noted that if such actions from residents go unabated, investments made by government will not convert into needed protection.
“I must reiterate that Government acknowledges the urgent need to permanently address the devastating effects of tidal waves in the affected towns… These communities are on the same coastal stretch as Blekusu, also in the Ketu South Constituency. This coastal stretch is characterized by narrow beaches and the effects of tidal waves along the coastal stretch can be very devastating, and consequently result in beach erosion, loss of land, property and sometimes extensive flooding in the event of wave overtopping”.
Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye
Highlighting on the impact of tidal waves on these communities, the housing minister disclosed that erosion of the beaches also “impacts negatively on fishing”, which is the main source of livelihood of the communities along this coastal stretch.
As part of measures to curb these incidences, Mr Asenso-Boakye revealed that in July 2015, the Ministry of Works and Housing engaged Messrs Amandi Holding Limited to design and construct coastal protection works along this stretch. He explained that the project commenced from Blekusu and covered areas in Agavedzi, Salakope, and Amutsinu under the Blekusu Coastal Protection Project.
Mr Asenso-Boakye indicated that Ministry has finalized the Evaluation of the relevant proposal to start the works under the second phase of the project.
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