Assemblyman for Aborlove-Nolopi in The Keta Municipality of The Volta Region has called for the dredging of the Avutor Tagba lagoon to revamp economic activities in The Area.
According to him, dredging The Avutor Tagba will renew aquaculture-farming in water for breeding, raising, and harvesting fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants to increase buying and selling of commodities or exchange of services by local people to meet their day-to-day needs of life, to reverse the avoidable hardship his people are going through.
The Assemblyman, Simon Yaw Awadzi said the removal of unwanted deposits and rubbishes like, bottles, plastic and metal containers, black and white polythene bags from the bottom of the lagoon will assist inflow of more pure water from the Keta Lagoon complex to produce more variety of fishes like crabs, Tilapia, Mudfish Cut fish, Shrimps, and Prawns.
He noted that there is huge demand for shrimps and Prawns at The Regional and The National Capitals and if managed properly will be exported to other neighboring countries.
In an interview, The assemblyman for The Area, Mr. Awadzi noted the dredging of the existing river will also facilitate ecotourism- as he promises to organize holiday trips to the area in promoting local tourism to start with.
“The dredging will promote water transportation by cruising from Aborlove to Atiteti, Anyako, Keta, Anloga, and other communities dotted along the Lagoon”, Mr. Awadzi added.
The green vegetation or the mangrove around the banks of The lagoon also serves as a habitat for wild snakes like pythons. According to the community folks, the mangrove houses 500+ pythons that put fear in fisher folks when they get close to the mangrove area.
The Unit Committee Chairman who also doubles as a The Chairman of School Management Committee, Da-Silveira Pascal Mawuli said, “Pythons by nature are very dangerous and we have it in the mangrove and reed grass. We need the help of some NGOs or any benefactors to fence the area in order to restrict the pythons from entering the community and the area could be used as a tourist attraction to raise funds”.
He also pleaded for the dredging of the dam, create some fish ponds, and establishing a rice farm as means to provide jobs for the youth in the area.
According to him, the town people including the assemblyman, elders, and the opinion leaders are ready to support any developmental initiative by any investor (s).
The only major road (4km) from Afife to the twin city is unmotorable and the Assemblyman called for the rehabilitation and construction of the road for easy access.
Economies of the people are predominant, fishing, farming, Kete/Kente Weaving and rearing of cattle.
The community can boast of a community Health Centre and a mission School from lower primary to upper primary
Aborlove-Nolopi is geographically located between Afife, Anyako, and Sasieme with Population estimated at two thousand (2, 000). .
A Concept Paper titled “Jobs for the youth: Avutor Tagba Development Project presented to the Municipal Chief Executive of The Keta Municipal Assembly for consideration noted that active fishing is no longer possible in The Aborlove-Nolopi portion of Avutor Tagba due to the evasion of reed grass.
According to the paper, “this area used to enjoy a very vibrant fishing industry but the area is now completely inaccessible to the people”.
The paper said the project, when done, will resuscitate the fishing industry and open up the area for investment and jobs for the youth in particular.
Background
Keta Lagoon, also called Anlo-Keta lagoon, is the largest of the over 90 lagoons that cover the 550 km stretch of the coastline of Ghana.
The lagoon is 126.13 km in length. It is located in the eastern coast of Ghana and separated from the Gulf of Guinea by a narrow strip of sandbar.
This open salty water is surrounded by flood plains and mangrove swamps. Together they form the Keta Lagoon Ramsar site which covers 1200 km2
There are seasonal inflows of seawater during high tide from the Gulf of Guinea and regular inflow of rivers. The rivers which drain into the lagoon include the Aka, the Tordzi River, and Belikpa, the stream which enters the lagoon from the north.
The lagoon is surrounded by many settlements. The towns include Anloga, Woe, Keta and Kedzi to the south, Anyako, and Anlo Afiadenyigba to the north, Kodzi, Alakple and Tregui to the west and Denu and Adina to the east.
Over the years population growth, extensive human activities, and climate change all contributed to reducing the volume of water in the lagoon which appears to be drying up.
The lagoon became part of the daily existence of the people of Anlo land. In 1992 the Keta Lagoon was placed on the list of Wetlands of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and in 1999 work began on measures to limit further erosion and to control flooding of the coastal region.
Story filed by Edzorna Francis Mensah
