Dredge the Volta River to prevent tidal waves – MP for Anloga calls out to VRA
The Volta River Authority has been called upon to resume dredging portions of the Volta River especially within the Fuvume area which connects to the sea.
According to the legislator for Anloga Richard Sefe who made the call, not dredging the lower potions of the Volta River for years was one of the causes of the recent tidal waves.
The unfortunate incident led to the death of three persons and a baby as thousands were also displaced and rendered homeless.
In making his case with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing, the lawmaker is optimistic that dredging will drastically reduce the havoc caused by the tidal waves.
“So we are appealing to the Volta River Authority to do the dredging of the sea which they haven’t done in a long while which has been a major problem that has led to the silting of the waterways.”
The havoc wreaked within the Anlo district, Keta district and the Ketu South Municipality displaced thousands of residents.
This led to the legislator of the Ketu South constituency calling for urgent action from the government to alleviate the plight of victims.
But Volta Regional Minister Dr Archibald Letsa has also assured that government is on course to tackle the issues to avoid such incidents in the future.
“I must explain that the situation is quite complex. The one in Ketu South, when we complete the second phase of the sea defence project, I am sure it will go a long way in solving the devastation there. But in Keta, we need to look at the situation again and find out what is going on.”
“But for the permanent solution, what is on the table is the completion of the second phase of the Blekesu sea defence project; we are working on that, that is the permanent and long-term solution. For the medium solution, we are thinking about the replacement infrastructure, a lot of assessment has been done, and we are looking at that. In short term, we are supposed to give relief to the people so that they will be comfortable”, the Minister explained.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
