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Member of Parliament for Effutu Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has expressed empathy for the affected communities in the Volta Region and its environs as a result of the tidal wave that hit the region, saying the country needs a permanent solution to the perennial flooding in the area.
He said the authorities cannot rely on blankets and food stuffs to assuage the plights of the affected communities because they are only temporary in the face of the magnitude of the problem they face in the area.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said he is rather interested in working with the ministry [Works and Housing] to secure the needed funds to complete the Phase Two of the sea defence wall in the region.
According to the deputy majority leader in parliament, that would provide permanent relief to the people of the Volta Region in the face of the perennial problem of flooding as a result of tidal waves from the sea.
He however called out those “involved in sand winning must be discouraged in doing that because all the research findings including the Keta Municipal Assembly itself has come to a conclusion that indeed, it is not the case that sand winning causes tidal waves but rather sand winning exposes the people, makes them more vulnerable”.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said all stakeholders must appreciate this because the tidal wave is a perennial problem in the region and the residents keep exposing themselves by the practice of sand winning.
He said this in an interview with Berla Mundi on the New Day on TV3, Tuesday, November 16.
The Effutu legislator was reacting on the backdrop of the alleged photo of sand winning activities in Keta and its environs that the majority in parliament used to support their claim that the far reaching effects of the tidal wave is as a result of sand winning activities in the area, spearheaded by him that resulted in a clash with the minority caucus in parliament on Friday, November 12.
“My empathy and sympathies to those who are suffering from the devastating effects of this tidal wave in the Volta Region. I maintain that we need a permanent solution, we cannot rely on blankets and food stuff, they are temporary. In any event, even when you have a blanket where are you going to sleep? If you have food and you have nowhere to sleep, how are you going to cook and all of that?” he opined on the New Day.
By Barima Kwabena Yeboah|3news.com|Ghana
