By Edzorna Francis Mensah
The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament has directed the Parliamentary Committee on Works and Housing to pay a working visit to three constituencies heavily affected by sea erosion in recent times and report to the House, within the second meeting of the year 2024.
According to Andrew Asiamah Amoako, the Committee must visit the areas to ascertain the facts that will inform an appropriate action as proposed by the MPs from the areas.
The Second Deputy Speaker’s directive followed a statement made by MP for Keta, Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey on “the tidal waves destruction in our constituencies and the alarming lack of government response to this crisis” on behalf of his colleagues, Abla Dzifa Gomashie and Kwame Sefe, MP for Ketu South and Anlo respectively.
In his statement, Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey said his fellow citizens in the Keta, Anlo and Ketu South Constituencies are enduring untold suffering since 1940, and the lack of adequate government response to this crisis is historical and sad and “in recent years, the frequency of the tidal waves’ destruction and its impact in the communities along the coast have increased significantly, but government’s apparent indifference to the plight of our people is deeply troubling”.
He noted that, between January 2017 and February 2024 alone, a total of 16 tidal wave destructions have occurred along the coast of Keta, Anlo and Ketu South.
He said, development gains in these areas are easily being wiped away by disasters, recent years storm waves’ destructions have left the coastal communities in a state of distress, and displaced about 25% of the people-Fuveme—a town in Anlo, no longer exists, this is evidence of the severe impact of tidal wave destruction.
“Mr. Speaker, the persistent cyclone inflicted economic loss and damage over the years runs into more than 4 billion USD. The damage in the year 2021 alone which saw the highest number of occurrences in recent years is estimated to be more than USD 20 million.
Mr. Speaker, families have been forced to flee their homes, livelihoods have been shattered, and the very fabric of their lives has been torn asunder. The first-hand information on the images of the devastation is heart-wrenching, and it is our solemn duty as representatives of the people to demand emergency response and appropriate action”, he added.
According to the MP, “regrettably, it appears that the current government has been, at best, sluggish in its response to this crisis” and “the situation in Keta, Anlo and Ketu South calls for an immediate and comprehensive government intervention to provide essential relief and support to the affected residents. Yet, we are confronted with an alarming sense of complacency and a lack of urgency in the government’s approach to this disaster”.
Stating the fact, Mr. Gakpey mentioned that, over the coming years, the combination of intensifying sea waves and ongoing and accelerating sea level rise is expected to have dire impacts on our historic states in Anlo, Keta and Ketu South, “ The increasing impacts will not only undermine efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, but also pose threats to the habitability and safety of Keta, Anlo and Ketu South and its communities and expose the uneven development practices promoted in Ghana”.
The MP, however, implored Parliament to call upon the government to prioritize the needs of the people of Keta, Anlo and Ketu South and demand a concrete and immediate plan of action and action that includes immediate humanitarian aid and rehabilitation of infrastructure.
He also demanded action that includes long-term measures like the continuation of the groin also known as sea defense and “we demand action to enhance the resilience of our coastal communities from Keta, Anlo to Ketu South through the World Bank facility known as West Africa Coastal Area Resilience Fund. Action that includes investments in Keta Lagoon.
The government must not remain adamant about the suffering of our fellow citizens. This Parliament has the power to hold the government accountable and to ensure that the people of Keta, Anlo and Ketu South receive the assistance they so desperately deserve”.
