Residents in the Asemensudu Electoral Area, a suburb of Sekondi in the Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) are appealing to city authorities to as a matter of urgency expand the sea defense as tidal waves are overflowing its shores into shops and homes.
This comes on the back of a video shared by Assembly Member, Ibrahim Osman, on Monday, April 4 on, on social media showing the havoc the tidal waves are causing.
Waves swept through the streets into the market area making traders uncomfortable selling their wares.
In an interview with some of the residents who live along the shore, they shared, that they fear for their lives because the intensity of the waves can destroy properties as well as claim lives.
Market women and shop owners also mentioned that the circumstance was worrying because their wares stand to be damaged by the waves.
Mr Kyei, a shop owner recounts that the frontage of his shop was filled with debris that emanates from the sea. He said, his shop was flooded with water when he came to the shop the next morning. It took the help of other people to clear away the waste before he could open his shop to sell.
“The frontage of my shop was flooded because of the high tidal waves. I had to call up some friends to support me clear off the waste before I was able to open my shop. I know it’s capital intensive but the government should come and help us,” he stated.
He, however, noted that the sea defense was constructed during the era of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and there’s a need to fill in with more rocks to prevent further damage to people and properties.
Speaking to Auntie Esi, a market woman at the Sekondi Gate ‘Ekyir’, she noted that “the water enters the market, making the place muddy and wet which also affects their businesses.”
The market women called for stricter punishment for those who dump waste into the sea.
In his reaction to the matter, Assembly Member for Asemensudu, Ibrahim Osman, reveals that the sea defense has deteriorated and needs to be fixed to prevent the water from flowing through the streets.
He added that the water carried along with waste such as black polythene, leftover foods, and others. He mentioned that people dump their refuse into the sea, even though there is a newly constructed toilet facility in the area.
Ibrahim Osman said, that a formal report would be made to the National Disaster and Management Organization (NADMO) to know how best the incident can be dealt with.
In recent times, tidal waves have caused havoc to some communities dotted on the coast of the Western and Volta Region and Ada in the Greater Accra region, threatening lives and livelihoods.
