President John Dramani Mahama has instructed Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson to secure the necessary funds for the rollout of Phase II of the Blekusu Sea Defence Project.

This initiative is designed to assist those displaced by tidal waves and to minimize the recurring destruction in Volta Region communities.

On Thursday, March 6, President Mahama visited Agavedzi to evaluate the extent of the damage caused by the latest tidal waves.

He empathized with the affected residents and reassured them that the government was actively working on both immediate relief efforts and long-term measures to address the issue.

“There are two things we need to do—start building Phase II of the defence wall and, at the same time, resettle those whose houses have been affected. So we will look for a more suitable site for the resettlement project.”

Agavedzi, Salakope, and Amutinu communities in the Ketu South District of the Volta Region have been engulfed by tidal waves, wiping out homes and farmlands and leaving hundreds stranded, forced to survive through unsafe means.

Displaced families have been compelled to sleep on the roadside, on makeshift bedding on the bare ground, and at a premix fuel facility surrounded by highly flammable petroleum products.

A father residing at the premix fuel facility admitted how hazardous his current situation is but noted that little could be done to provide a safer location.

“We know it’s dangerous, but where else can we go? I have children to protect, and this is the only place we could find,” he told the media.

In the past week, powerful tidal waves have battered communities in the Ketu South Municipality. The encroaching sea has consumed burial grounds, forcing families to exhume the remains of their ancestors in a desperate bid to find them safer resting places.

Tourism Minister and Member of Parliament for the Ketu South Constituency, Dzifa Abla Gomashie, has expressed concern over the worsening crisis, describing the destruction as an existential threat to her constituents.

As part of relief efforts, the Volta Regional Minister has distributed emergency supplies to over 510 affected individuals. He assured residents that the government is committed to addressing the crisis.