Residents Of Vodza Eat Poisoned Fish After Group Invades With Chemicals

There are fears that some residents of Vodza in the Volta Region, may have consumed poisoned fish after it emerged that some fish that washed ashore from a lagoon may have died from chemical poisoning.

Residents are said to have swarmed the beached fishes.

The revelation is contained in a statement from the Royal Kukubor Stool of Vodza which has reported the invasion of one of four islands in a Ramsar site by a group calling itself Vodza Eco-tourism Initiative.

“…on Sunday 3rd April 2022 a vast portion of one of the islands was razed down within few minutes by some group of people ironically calling themselves Vodza Eco-tourism Initiative bringing their eighteen years of toil to naught,” read the statement.

“Before setting the island on fire, it is suspected that some harmful chemicals were used to spray the weed further endangering marine life. The suspicion became evident when the 8th April downpour washed dead fishes onto the bank of the lagoon the following morning. Unfortunately, those dead fishes were collected by the locals for consumption.”

A visiting scientist from Norway, Dr. Kofitsyo Cudjoe, also a native of a Tegbi, suspected the chemicals used in spraying the weeds, if for example, is roundup ready, contain active ingredients which are carcinogenic and can cause sterility over prolonged exposure.

According to the statement, even though the group which perpetrated the poisoning claims to be on a mission for eco-tourism, the Director of Wildlife Division under The Forestry Commission in the Keta Municipality, Lawrence Ocloo Tetteh has said he is unaware of the damage caused to the Ramsar Site.

Mr. Ocloo Tetteh, therefore, dispatched a team to Vodza to gather firsthand information on the situation, warning that destroying a Ramsar Site is a criminal offence and that the perpetrators must be brought to book.

Meanwhile, the Royal Kukubor Family has requested from the Forestry Commission some seedlings to begin replanting on the damaged island to restore the Ecosystem which is believed will take 20 years from now to achieve,” the statement said.

It explains that the island destroyed is one out of an archipelago of seven, four of which are in the custody of the Royal Kukubor family.

During the construction of The Keta Sea Defense Project spanning four years from 2000-2004, the flora and fauna life were greatly affected, it said.

The project managers realizing the damage caused, created Seven Artificial Islands in The Keta Lagoon to revive and ensure the continued existence of aquatic life and also a sanctuary for migratory birds and other living organisms whose survival depends on it.