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About 1,000 houses, representing 90 per cent of buildings at Anlo Beach, a fishing community, in the Shama District of the Western Region, have been hit by strong tidal waves.
Presently, residents are traumatised that the rampaging tidal waves, which for decades have wreaked havoc on the area was swiftly eroding their homes and livelihoods, while the community runs into the ocean bed.
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A school block in the community has been deserted
They have expressed the fear that with the perennial surge of the tidal waves, Anlo Beach community may soon be washed away.
They have therefore, made an urgent appeal to the government to expedite action to find a place for them to settle and also construct a sea defense wall to protect community, “else the area would be totally wiped out.”
The Assembly member for Anlo Beach, Samuel Borlu, who disclosed these to the Ghanaian Times here yesterday said with most homes swept away by the tidal waves, many residents had been displaced and without a place to sleep.
Some stuctures affected by the tidal waves
Describing the situation as dire, Mr Borlu recalled that the Anlo Beach tidal waves began hitting the community around 1995-1996, but, intensified in 2017-2018, destroying nearly 500 houses.
The residents, he said had called on the government to take an immediate action to address their plight and protect their homes and livelihoods from the ravaging tidal waves from the Atlantic Ocean.
The Assembly Member mentioned that displaced community members were forced to lodge with friends and relatives, while some were lodging in classrooms, adding that, a few others had relocated to other places.
The number of people affected in terms of numbers of children, men and women is not readily available, he however stated.
Mr Borlu suggested that the most appropriate solution was the construction of a sea defense wall and possibly a resettlement of the community members.
He noted that repeated engagements with stakeholders, over the years, had not yielded any pragmatic actions other than promises without any fulfillment.
He stressed “The impact is enormous, as our community relies heavily on fishing, and the erosion of our fishing shoreline is now making it difficult for residents to cast their nets and pull them ashore. The livelihoods of our people are under serious threat.”
Mr Borlu added “If the problem is not solved in a short period of time, the severity of the waves and the rate of erosion being experienced may lead to the total collapse of the settlement.”
The Shama District Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Michael Nyan, confirmed the situation at Anlo Beach when contacted, saying that, it had been a cycle over the years, occurring mostly in June, July and August, each year.
He disclosed that a team from the assembly and Friends of Nation (FON), an environmental organisation, visited the community on Monday to sensitise the residents about resettlement plans.
Mr Nyan indicated that the assembly, chiefs and the community had acquired a land for the resettlement of Anlo Beach, adding “we are still at the planning stage, and so we’re on the ground.”
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, TAKORAD
