SEA DEVOURS KETU SOUTH: Hundreds Homeless as Government Drags Feet on Sea Defence

BY LEO NELSON

The merciless Atlantic Ocean has once again unleashed its fury on the coastal communities of Ketu South, leaving a trail of devastation and despair.

Over 500 souls are now internally displaced, their homes swallowed by relentless tidal waves, exposing the stark reality of government inaction in the face of a looming environmental catastrophe.

The communities of Agavedzi, Salakope, and Amutinu bear the brutal brunt of this latest assault. Homes reduced to rubble, livelihoods shattered, and vital roadways severed – the scene is one of utter desolation, echoing the cries of a people abandoned.

Figures from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), often criticized for its reactive rather than proactive approach, confirm the grim reality: 519 individuals from 101 households rendered homeless.

Agavedzi alone saw 21 homes vanish, displacing 129 people. Salakope and Amutinu paint an equally grim picture, with 172 and 318 residents, respectively, now staring at an uncertain future.

Beyond the homes, the tidal waves have choked off critical arteries, notably the Salakope-Amutsinu coastal stretch. This vital link, connecting Ketu South to the Keta Municipality, is now impassable, stranding commuters and igniting simmering tensions between frustrated residents and commercial drivers. The economic ripple effect is already being felt, compounding the misery.

In a predictable display of post-disaster crisis management, Volta Regional Minister Hon. James Gunu hastily convened an “emergency meeting” with NADMO, the Regional Security Council, and local leaders.

Gunu, whose pronouncements often lack the urgency of real action, declared the situation a “national security concern.” One must ask: what took so long for this realization to dawn?

For years, the fisherfolk of Ketu South have pleaded, their voices hoarse, for the expedited construction of the much-touted sea defence project.

“We are pleading with the government to, as a matter of urgency, construct the sea defence project for us – we are really suffering,” lamented Kofiga, a local fisherman, his words a desperate plea that has, for too long, fallen on deaf ears.

Discussions of “long-term solutions” and the “possibility of relocating affected communities” have resurfaced, a familiar refrain in the wake of such disasters.

While once resistant to abandoning their ancestral lands, the sheer scale of repeated devastation has forced a grim acceptance among some victims: perhaps moving is the only way to survive.

But relocation without comprehensive support and sustainable alternatives is merely shifting the problem. For years, Ghana’s southeastern coast has been a battleground against the sea, with successive governments offering little beyond platitudes and unfulfilled promises.

The destruction of homes, farmlands, and livelihoods is not new; what is new is the increasing frequency and intensity of these attacks.

As the sea continues its relentless march, residents of Ketu South are not just awaiting “decisive action;” they are demanding it. The time for talk is over.

The time for a robust, funded, and urgently implemented sea defence project, coupled with genuine long-term solutions, is now. Anything less is a betrayal of the very people the government is sworn to protect.