Diesel shortage affects Senchi ferries

The over two-week severe shortage of diesel supply across the country has affected the operations of the two ferries on the Lower Volta at Senchi in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region.

The two pontoons - Akrade and Senchi - on the Volta, which run on diesel, are operated by the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) but last Friday when The Finder visited the ferry landing site, only Akrade was operational.

The other pontoons, named Senchi, according to some workers of the GHA The Finder interacted with, had been berthed for about three days because there was no fuel to run it.

Owing to the inadequate delivery of diesel GHA receives from its suppliers, the management of the ferries decided that only one ferry should convey passengers and vehicles across the Volta while they hoped that the situation normalises to put the other pontoon in operation.

The situation has affected the travelling public who use the two ferries at the Asuogyaman District to the Volta Region and other parts of the Eastern Region across the Lower Volta.

Travelling time, which the travelling public had been complaining had increased since the closure of the Adomi Bridge on March 10 this year, has worsened ever since the GHA decided to operate only one pontoon on the river.

Many vehicles with passengers, at both ends of the river, queue to be ferried across to continue with their journey and passengers complained that the short supply of diesel is a problem for them.

Describing their frustrations and their long wait in traffic as sickening, the passengers entreated the GHA to do all they can to get fuel to run the other pontoon in order to ease the heavy passenger and vehicular congestion at both ends of the ferry landing sites in the Asuogyaman District.