Residents of Agavedzi and other coastal communities in the Ketu South Municipality, have accused the government of being indifferent to their plight after their homes were washed away by tidal waves again.

The residents said instead of the government fixing the issues of tidal waves permanently, work has rather started at the relocation site meant for the construction of the school and houses to accommodate residents affected by the waves.

Speaking with JoyNews, the residents, about 700 of them who have been rendered homeless, said a better solution is for government to finish the construction of a sea defense wall, instead of the construction of the new site by the Seven Seas Salt Limited.

They are thus calling on the government to halt the relocation project and attend to their most immediate needs as soon as possible.

Some of the residents have been speaking with JoyNews; 

 "The sea has destroyed our lands and made us homeless with our businesses down and the worse thing is our relocation site has been given to the white man for his project ignoring our woes " one of the residents lamented 

According to the residents, hundreds of buildings have been submerged into the sea, making life unbearable for them. 

The residents believe government is insensitive to their plight, which according to them is very worrying 

"Its like the government is not listening to our cries because we have appealed to them several times without response or positive feedback," a young man lamented 

The school in the area is no more effective due to the destruction that accompanied the tidal waves. Poor health care and sanitation have also become a worrying issue for residents.

"Our children are unable to stay in school due to the problems with the waves and our sanitation issues are getting worse by the day," a lady said 

The MCE for Ketu South, who is also a native of the area, Elliot Edem Agbenorwu, said the sea defense project, Blekusu phase 1, is completed and that there is an urgent need for the continuation of phase 2.

The project, according  to Edem, commenced in 2019 but faced bottlenecks at the Ministry of Finance. 

"The people continue to suffer from the ravaging tidal waves losing life, property, and even vital ancestral traditional settings," Mr. Agbenorwu said.

Mr. Agbenorwu noted that the only place left for residents to seek refuge is Kpota where currently, the Seven Seas company is extending its operations to; and sensing danger, he [the MCE] called an emergency meeting with the company and made them halt their operations immediately. 

He also noted that a water and electricity project has been extended to the area as well to help the residents.

Residents of Salakope, Agavedzi, Amutsinu in the Ketu South Municipality, and Akplowotorkor, Fuveme, and other island communities in the Anloga District have been under attack by the ravaging sea for several years without a permanent solution in sight. The residents can only hope and pray for divine intervention on the issue.

A tidal wave is a reoccurring shallow water wave caused by the effects of the gravitational interactions between the Sun, Moon, and Earth on the ocean. The term "tidal wave" is often used to refer to tsunamis. However, this reference is incorrect as tsunamis have nothing to do with tides.