Feasibility study on stumps in Volta starts in May

Accra, April 12, GNA - Feasibility study on the harvesting of stumps in the Volta Lake begins in May this year, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of Ports, Harbours and Railways stated in Accra on Wednesday.

He said: "The nation has paid a heavy prize for the continued delay of the project because of bureaucracy, pettiness and media misunderstanding.

"We cannot continue to struggle with our preposterous allegations at the peril of commuters on the lake." Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi was addressing a press briefing on the Volta Lake Disaster, which occurred last Saturday, April 8, which claimed a number of lives being speculated in the media to be around 120. The disaster also led to the loss of properties worth millions of cedis. According to a fact-finding team made up of human rights activists from Accra including staff of the Ghana News Agency that visited the site of the accident described the Volta Lake transport system as a death trap, confirming that the stumps and rocks in the river body had been a major cause of boat accidents. The team observed that boat operators had to manoeuvre and navigate through trees and rocks with difficulty whilst the plight of the operators and commuters is worsened by strong winds and waves. Prof Ameyaw-Akumfi said technical experts from the Canadian Company, Clark Sustainable Resources Developments Limited, which signed an agreement with Government last February for the harvesting of timber from the Volta Lake, would arrive in the country in May to undertake the feasibility studies.

He said the latest disaster made it imperative for the project, which was long over-due to improve the safety of navigation on the manmade lake.

The Harbours and Railways Minister said the project would also promote fishing, tourism and other socio-economic activities on the lake that links the Volta, Eastern, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and the Northern regions.

Prof Ameyaw-Akumfi described harvesting of the stumps as a great relief to Ghana as it would end the frequent fatal accidents on the lake and open up employment and major opportunities within its catchments. "Over the years, it has been a great challenge to extract stumps from the Volta Lake in a manner that would be beneficial to the economy, sustain the environment and create jobs," he stated. According to the agreement, the timber, expected to be harvested in three years, would be sold on the world market and Ghana would benefit from the proceeds.

A master plan would subsequently be developed to maximize the benefits of a stump-free lake, he added.

Prof Ameyaw-Akumfi said the Ministry and its allied agencies would ensure that the project became valuable in terms of safety, creating opportunities for trade, training and technology transfer. "We would also endeavour to protect the environment and the ecosystem and the general life of the lake."