Life has become unbearable for residents of Anlo beach, a fishing community in the Shama District of the Western Region, following the flooding of the community coupled with the submerging of structures by tidal waves.
They are calling on government as a matter of urgency to relocate them from their present home to avoid the unfortunate from happening.
Anlo Beach is a fishing community which lies between the Pra River and the Shama Sea.
Recent rainfalls has caused the Pra River to overflow its banks, thereby causing flooding in the entire community,
About 80 per cent of the Anlo Beach town was covered in water on June 11, 2017 by the Pra River.
About 198 houses along the shores of Anlo Beach were washed away, leaving hundreds of residents displaced.
There is an island close to Anlo Beach which served as a tributary between Shama and Anlo Beach. It also serves as a channel that residents walked on to a point where they can continue their journey with a canoe to Shama, which is about 3km.
Unfortunately, some unknown residents cut through the sea sand linking the community to the island to enable the flood waters to flow, oblivious of its consequences.
The entire island has now been swept away by the sea as a result of the channel created.
The place has now become an estuary where the Pra River now meets the sea and finds its way into houses.
The situation is likely to sweep away most houses along the shore and residents are worried that the entire community can be submerged in a few years to come if nothing is done to address the situation.
Residents now cannot cross to Shama with a canoe due to the turbulent nature of the estuary.
They now have to resort to using a public transport from the community to Shama, about 40km by road and costs between GH¢10 to GH¢20 against transportation via canoe which costs them only GH¢2 to and fro in 2km.
The Assembly member for Anlo Beach, Samuel Borlu, described the situation as unfortunate and says it requires immediate attention and appealed to authorities to intervene.
He, however, hinted that most of the victims affected by the floods are yet to receive any relief items from the National Disaster Management Organisation.
Chief of Anlo beach Togbe Tekpkle Garikor I said they are ready to be relocated since a land has already been identified but appealed to government to support them by constructing affordable houses for them.
Resident Havor Gloria is a student of the Shama ICCES Vocational school but has been at home since the parents cannot afford the transport cost.
Academic activities have come to a halt since teachers who live outside the community are reluctant to report.
This was confirmed by the assistant head teacher of the Anlo Beach Methodist primary school, Robert Mensah, as well as an opinion leader, Noble King Dogbatsey, and appealed to government and the district assembly to, as a matter of urgency, come to their aid.
By William Benjamin Peters|3news.com|Ghana