NEW COMPLETION DATE FOR TAMALE WATER PROJECT (BACK PAGE)

THE government is to extend the sea defence wall along all the disaster-prone coastal towns in the Volta Region and Ada in the Greater-Accra Region.
Consequently, the 48 Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces has been tasked to construct culverts in all those identified towns along the coastal areas.
The Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, announced this when he paid a working visit to various coastal towns including Dzita, Keta, Akplowotorkor and Atokor, all in the Volta Region, to assess the impact of the damage caused by the tidal waves that occurred recently in those areas.
According to Dr Addo-Kufuor, the recent tidal waves experienced around the coastal parts of the country were due to global warming resulting from the activities of industrialised countries, saying it was unfortunate that Ghana had to bear the brunt of the action by others.
As part of efforts to alleviate the plight of those affected and to also find lasting solutions to the problem, he announced a three-pronged approach that was aimed at providing those affected with relief items in the short term, tasking the 48 Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces to construct culverts in the towns and the long-term plan of extending sea defence walls to the affected areas.
Dr Addo-Kufuor, however, cautioned against the removal of rocks that served as barriers at the sea defence sites, saying such a practice would not augur well for the protection of lives and property of people in the area in the likely event of flooding.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Dzamesi, said he had earlier visited the area and provided the victims with relief items and promised that he would return with the Minister of the Interior for him to have a first-hand assessment of the situation.
The Keta Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Edward Kofi Ahiabor, assured the people of the government's readiness to ensure that their houses that were destroyed were re-built, adding that the Minister of the Interior had instructed the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to supply them with roofing sheets for that purpose.
It will be recalled that on Wednesday, September 2, 2008, hundreds of homes were flooded and thousands of people were displaced in the Keta Municipality and other parts of the country due to high tidal waves that swept over the coastal belt.
The most affected towns were Dzita, Akplowotorkor and Dakordzi, mostly farming communities, where farms were overrun by sea water.
The President, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, then directed the release of GH¢7 million to be used in providing relief and assistance to those who were affected by the floods.