Residents of Dansoman’s Beach Road in the Ablekuma West Municipality are urgently appealing to the government to extend the ongoing sea defence project to their area. Coastal erosion and tidal waves have wreaked havoc, leaving many homeless and destroying valuable properties.
According to the residents, the incomplete sea defence at Glefe, a neighboring community, has redirected the force of the waves, intensifying the damage.
“When there was no sea defence at Glefe, the sea wasn’t this aggressive here. Now, it’s unbearable,” lamented Hasiaye Neequaye, who lost her newly built home to the advancing sea.
Another resident, Daniel Lamptey, shared heartbreaking details about the loss of a site that once housed 12 buildings. “We spent millions on concrete stones, but they couldn’t stop the sea from destroying everything,” he said. In desperation, residents have resorted to using refuse to create makeshift barriers against the encroaching sea, a solution they admit is unsustainable.
The situation has led to accelerated rusting of household items due to high winds and salty air, compounding the community’s woes.
Residents believe the government’s intervention in extending the sea defence project is the only way to save their community. “The sea is nature, and we can’t fight it alone. If nothing is done, there will soon be nothing left to save,” Mr. Lamptey warned.
The residents continue to hope that their pleas will spur swift action before the coastline becomes entirely uninhabitable.
