Residents of Agbeve – a community in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region, have expressed their displeasure over dredging activities on the River Volta by a Dutch dredging company in their community.
The people of Agbeve believe the Ditch Vessel, LESSE SLIEDRECHT is sourcing for minerals in the riverbed and will be winning sand for sale to real estate developers in the capital city of Accra.
When Ghananewsonline.com.gh visited the Agbeve community, we saw that dredging activities by this foreign vessel has muddied the water, adversely affecting the operations of the water plant system installed by the community through their own efforts.
According to the residents and stakeholders, the Agbeve village has not received any significant developmental project from the government but has been developing the area through self-sponsored projects.
They have built two Reverse Osmosis water treatment plants to supply potable drinking water to their community and surrounding villages.
The residents say they have become more agitated due to the heavy pollution of the river as a result of the operations of the dredging company.
They expressed worry over the adverse effects of the dredging activities on their socio-economic life and called on the authorities to halt the operations of the dredging company.
The residents say they strongly believe the vessel is rather prospecting for some mineral deposits and using dredging as a cover up, adding that, it is also possible the vessel is winning sand from the riverbed.
The Ada East District Security Council is now deliberating on how to deal with the concerns of the aggrieved residents for peace to prevail.
Meanwhile members of the community have claimed there has not been any community engagement with them by the VRA nor the dredging company or the district assembly prior to the start of the operations.
“If they really want dredging to be done for whatever reason, they should seek our concerns as the people within the community and not just begin dredging the river around the community as if we were not humans,” some of the residents lamented.
By Hebrews Pouyeli Kumako || Ghananewsonline.com.gh