Today can report that the old international road from Axim to the border town of Elubo in the Western Region is gradually being eaten up by the sea.
A visit by Today news team at the weekend showed that most of the houses along the three coastal communities—Brawie, Upper and Lower Axim in the Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region—had been completely taken over by the sea while lots of buildings were about to submerge.
The situation in these three communities, according to some residents who spoke to Today, remains as a source of worry to the indigenes.
What has made the development more frightening is the fact that the implementation of a sea defence wall in the area has been halted.
The situation, which has been with the people for over 40 years in the ancient fishing town of Axim, has resulted in the destruction of several properties, causing families to seek shelter elsewhere, whiles the communities remain disaster zones, Today gathered.
Today further established that the situation needs a long-term solution without which all the buildings along the coast would be eroded.
Meanwhile, members of the Axim Youth Alliance (AYA) have threatened to stage a massive demonstration against the Nzema East Municipal Assembly (NEMA), the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area and President John Dramani Mahama over what they say is “their lackadaisical attitude” towards the construction of a sea defence wall to protect Axim from sea erosion.
According to them, in 2008 the then Kufuor administration promised to construct a sea defence wall in the area but the project was later taken to Keta in the Volta Region.
They also attributed the problem partly to the construction of the Sekondi Naval Base, the Takoradi and Tema Harbours, and explained that during the construction of the projects, the sea water was pushed down to the Axim area, hence the need for the construction of a sea defence wall.
Speaking to Today, an elder of Axim Brawire, Nana Kweku, claimed that he no longer has a family home in Axim because where they used to live had been taken over by the sea.
He went on to state that a football pitch and many buildings had all been submerged.
Some fishermen who were not left out in the frustration also lamented that the situation had adversely affected their businesses as the erosion had destroyed the landing sites with the tidal waves breaking their canoes in the process.
They asserted that several houses, fishing and farming equipment and some private and state properties running into millions of cedis are currently being threatened by the sea.
They further lamented that the sea was seriously eating into the Axim township and washing away valuable properties which without immediate intervention may collapse the town which serves as a tourist site.
<<Print>>