Mr John Dramani Mahama, the former President has in collaboration with Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Volta Region, donated items to offer some relief to victims of recent tidal waves attacks in the Ketu South Municipality.
The items including 1,000 bags of cement and 20 packets of roofing sheets were to help the about 1,000 displaced residents from about 100 households at Agavedzi and Salakope put up temporary structures while awaiting a permanent solution from the state.
The team also presented 200 bags of sachet water and 100 bags of 50Kg rice; half of which was meant for the tidal waves victims and the other half for head porters at Aflao whose means of livelihood got disrupted due to the border closure directive occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Mahama said the visit to the area with the Volta MPs was to sympathise with the people and show support to them in their time of distress.
He called for some form of social intervention to the people who were going through difficult times especially with the border (their source of trade) closed for about a year and a half, their homes and properties destroyed by tidal waves, and the sea opened for fishing just August 01, after it was closed for a month.
Mr Mahama said the problem the people were facing had come about as a result of climate change leading to sea levels rising across the globe noting, “the only solution is for the government to build a sea defence wall to prevent the sea’s ravages.”
The former President said his government completed phase I of the sea defence project and would have started the phase II component but for their exit from office and called on the current government to extend the project to protect the area from the sea.
Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, MP for the area said she had had sleepless nights over the tidal waves attacks and the destruction to the people.
She noted that though she and her people were grateful for the government’s response in terms of visiting them with relief items, they deserved more from the government as evidence of Ketu South’s contribution to Ghana in terms of revenue generation could not be overemphasized saying, “this is the time to show support to the people.”
Torgbui Adamah III, Paramount Chief of Some Traditional Area, thanked the former President and the Volta MPs for the donation and said it would help to alleviate the suffering of the people.
