Bushfires threatening settlements in Keta district - DCE

Keta (V/R), April 6, GNA - The phenomenon of bushfires is taking over from the sea as a new and major threat to human settlements and property in the Keta district, Mr Emmanuel Vorkeh, Keta District Chief Executive said on Monday.

"Now that the area has been saved from the ravages of the sea, the people are being subjected to the ravages of fire", he said. Addressing the fourth ordinary meeting of the assembly, he said several houses and property estimated at several millions of cedis have been burnt by bushfires in ten communities this year and wondered why people were adamant to warnings about the dangers of bushfires. Mr Vorkeh mentioned the affected communities as Afloto, which alone lost 18 houses with several people displaced and Sokutime where seven houses were burnt. The rest were Srogbe, Salo, Blamezado, Devenu, Anloga-Setsime and Donorgbor.

He commended the District Health Management Team (DHMT) for containing a cholera outbreak and worm infestation, which hit parts of the district this year and appealed to communities and people in the area to practise sound environmental hygiene.

Mr Vorkeh said the award of contracts for the second phase of a resettlement housing project for the communities at Vodza and Adzido was much advanced and that the people would soon be relocated to enable land reclamation as part of the sea defence project in the area to commence. He said the Assembly paid 38.6 million cedis in ex-gratia awards to former Assembly members from its internally generated revenue. The DCE said the Assembly sponsored 57 teacher trainees last year, while 100 needy pupils were supplied with school uniforms and bags adding that a total of 1,222 dual desks and 150 teachers tables and chairs were also distributed.