The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Prof. Nana Ama Brown Klutse, has toured the flood scenes at Agavedzi, Sallakope and Amutinu in the Ketu South Municipality, which were inundated again by tidal waves a few weeks ago.

She led a delegation from the EPA to embark on the tour last Thursday to gather first-hand information on the damage caused by the floods.

Prof. Klutse, who was accompanied by the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, presented relief items, which included bags of rice, cooking oil and pureed tomatoes, to the flood victims.

Agavedzi

The Assembly Member for Agavedzi, Eben Assah, who received the delegation on behalf of the chief of Agavedzi, Togbi Akponoguia IV,
told the visiting EPA team that the tidal waves, which invaded the community on January 15 had left 236 people in 51 households homeless.

Mr Assah said the floods had desecrated the century-old local cemetery and carried away 150 coffins and corpses.

He said the only solution to the persistent sea invasion of Agavedzi and its sister communities depended on the completion of the sea defence wall.

He described as scary the rate at which the sea was advancing on the community.

Mr Assah said the sea was about 500 metres away from Agavedzi some years ago but was now at a distance of only 30 metres from the town.

He said the people of Agavedzi had now been deprived of their livelihood, fishing.

“We have no farmlands, so we cannot resort to farming,” the assemblyman explained.

Intervention

Responding, Prof. Klutse affirmed it was part of EPA’s mandate to protect coastal areas.

She gave an assurance that resources would be mobilised as soon as possible to dredge the sea at Agavedzi and nearby communities as a first step towards a lasting solution to the problem.

The regional minister gave an assurance that the Volta Regional Coordinating Council would continue to work jointly with the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to address the basic needs of the displaced people in the interim.

That, Mr Gunu said, would include the supply of basic medication to the local health centre to provide first aid to those in need of medical attention. 

Saliakope

At Sallakope, which has a population of about 1,500, the Chief Fisherman, Emmanuel Tettey, said the visit by the CEO of the EPA, and the regional minister, marked a new dawn of hope for the people, who had been left in agony for far too long by politicians.

As a result of the frequent tidal wave invasions, the population of Sallakope was fading out rapidly, he added.

He said the recent floods displaced 50 people.

The story was no different at Amutinu where the people said they were only looking up to the sea defence wall to save them from further tribulations.