Assist sandbar-threatened communities

It is reported that a sandbar has blocked the Anyanui-Ada-Foahchannel of the Volta River.

Due to the blockage, the water flowing from Anloga throughAnyanui, both in the Volta Region, is unable to enter the Gulf of Guinea.

As a result, the coastal communities along the channel have been denied its use for their economic activities of mostly fishing and trading.

The people have therefore appealed to the Volta River Authority (VRA) to clear the sandbar from the trading route used by thousands of people to make a living.

Geological records state that the world’s coastlines are shaped by mean sea level, wave conditions, storm surge, and river flows and that climate change-driven variations in these environmental forces will inevitably have a profound effect on the coastal zone.

It should not be lost on the public either that the

continued growth of coastal communities would also have some impact on the coastal environment.

The sandbar creating the problems for the coastal communities in question came up following the 2021 tidal waves and flooding that occurred in the Volta Region.

Obviously what is happening is the result of climate change and every necessary step must be taken by the VRA, for that matter the government, to make an urgent move to save the people from their economic hardships.

Any necessary action to be taken must be fast to stem the worsening of the people’s plight.

It is sad to hear from the affected people that all their pleas to the relevant quarters, particularly the VRA, have not yielded any result and, of course, the situation confirms that nothing has been done about their predicament.

We cannot blame any institution or individual for the current state of affairs except to join the call for help, especially to the VRA to whom the people claim to have recently sent a letter to request assistance.

In the face of the current biting economic hardship in the

country, which is difficult to deal with by even people who have jobs, any delay in helping the people will worsen their situation to the extent that the unexpected can happen.

It is a pity that in addition to their current jobless lives, the people have to contend with influx of mosquitoes, which implies health hazards.

Elsewhere sandbars are beautiful locations which attract tourists and so are sites of restaurants and other tourism-related businesses like sandbar cafes.

Sandbar beaches are also locations for shooting movies, television series and commercials but what is happening in the Volta Region is rather a disaster that must not be tolerated.

However, if its economic and entertainment potential can be harnessed, then a quick move must be taken around it to first return the people to their economic activities to give them some relief from their current precarious situation.

After all, the country’s quick response to the plight of coastal communities suffering the brunt of the sandbar in the Volta Region will dovetail into the expectation of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13, as this SDG makes it imperative for nations to take urgent actions to combat climate change and its impacts.

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