We need sea defense wall not relief items – Tidal wave victims

Tidal wave victims at Agorkedzi in the Anloga district of the Volta Region are urging government to construct a standard sea defense wall instead of temporary donation of relief items.

Many affected victims are still counting their losses after the Sunday, April 17, destruction that led to the loss of property.

Raphael Agbanavor, the Assembly Member of the Atiteti Electoral Area, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that though the situation seemed to have returned to normalcy, it was high time government stepped in to build a sea defense wall to protect life and property.

He complained that relocation by the affected victims would not be appropriate as some had already moved to more than four locations.

“Those here were moved from the Kporkporgbor community in 2014 to Fukpeve in 2016 and later moved to Fuveme before finally landing at Agorkedzi, which is also being destroyed,” he said.

“It is not a matter of relocation, the residents there are fisherfolks, who engage in fishing expedition as their source of livelihood, and moving them from here to a new place could cause disturbances in their daily activities.”

Mr Agbanavor noted that the only school in the area, which was affected by the waves, had reopened but some parents were hesitant to get their wards back to school due to fear of possible recurrence.

Mr Philip Bokorga, the National Disaster Management Organisation Director for Anloga, told the GNA that his team had assessed the situation and reported to the appropriate authorities for action.

Meanwhile, Seth Yormewu, the Anloga District Chief Executive, has urged the affected victims to remain calm whilst the Government worked to find a solution.

The GNA also observed that some areas along the shores at Keta were also affected by the tidal waves.