Volta Lake disaster victims receives support

Tepa Abotoase (V/R), April 17, GNA - Scores of survivors of the April 8 Volta Lake disaster and stranded settlers evicted by officials of the Game and Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission from Digya National Park, on resurrection Sunday received relief items worth 10 million cedis

The items; 20 bags of rice, three bags of sugar, 80 loaves of bread, three gallons of large size pure vegetable cooking oil, and ten cartons of soap, were presented to the victims and settlers at Tepa Abotoase by Ghana Homeless People's Federation and the People's Dialogue both non-governmental organizations.

Presenting the items to the victims, Ms Janet Adu, an Executive Member of the Federation appealed to Boat Owners and Operators to adhere to basic safety rules and called for public enquiry into the circumstance leading to the disaster.

"The outcome of such investigation should not be shrouded in secrecy; infant the committee should sit in public and all those whose actions contributed to the disaster made to face the full rigors of the law," she said.

Alhaji Alhassan Amadu, a survivor, Mr. William Asiedu, Worawora Zonal Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) Tepa Abotoase Assemblywoman and leaders and opinion leaders of Abotoase, received the items on behalf of the victims. She urged other philanthropic organisations and individuals to assist both survivors, relatives of dead ones and the victims of the action of Game and Wildlife officials.

Ms Adu explained that five bags of rice, loaves of bread, one gallon of cooking oil, four cartons of soap, and a bag of sugar were for victims of the disaster, whiles the rest of the items were to be transported to Mancheri, temporary makeshift community for the evicted from the National Park.

Alhaji Amadu commended the donors for the gesture, which to him, would enhance their livelihood, shattered by the eviction and subsequent disaster.

Mr. Farouk Brimah, Executive Director of People's Dialogue noted the full enforcement of the Ghana Maritime Authority and the Ghana Shipping law to regulate lake transport in the country. He explained that the laws provide the legal and administrative framework for the effective enforcement of safety measures in lake-transport.

The Ghana Shipping law has comprehensive provisions for regulating transportation on the lake while the Maritime Authority bill provides for the establishment of a lake traffic control unit, with suitably sited outlets to carry out monitoring, surveillance and strict enforcement of safety regulations.

He called for a comprehensive training scheme for lake-transport operators and navigators. This, he said, would equip them with modern and internationally accepted navigation techniques.

Mr. Brimah appealed to lakeside communities to desist from felling trees in the lake because the submerged stumps pose danger to boat operators and passengers. forced onto the boat by gun wielding Officials of Game and Wildlife at Dudzome-Digya.

Ten passengers were discharged at Mancheri leaving some 95 on board before the unfortunate incident claiming some lives and personal effects worth millions of cedis.

Meanwhile, information available to the Ghana News Agency indicates the Digya National Park the second largest protected area after Mole National Park, covers nearly 3,500 square kilometres on the western edge of the Volta Lake.

The park is mostly woodland savannah on poor soils with isolated conspicuous inselbergs, with boundaries to the north, east and south to the Volta Lake.

Digya Park located in the remote part of the lake with no visitors, but according to Wildlife Officials, it has considerable development potential to attract visitors.

Wildlife spices in the park includes; manatee and the clawless otter, black and white Colobus monkey, antelope, elephants, warthogs, lions, leopards and birds.