Sallakope, a community being eaten by the sea

Allakope was once a vibrant fishing community in the Ketu South Municipality.

The livelihood in the community where death and hunger were rare was fishing.

The young men and adults went fishing daily for long hours with great zeal and enthusiasm and returned to the shore with huge catches of fish in their nets, with guaranteed joy awaiting them at home.

Decades ago, the sea was about 500 metres from the community, so the fishermen and fishmongers walked the mile to the sea.

Today, the sea is only nine metres (30 feet) from Sallakope.

Invasions

Years of tidal wave invasions have claimed the better portion of Sallakope, with no land left for farming.

 Professor Nana Ama Brown Klutse (middle), EPA CEO; James Gunu, Volta Regional Minister, and some officials of EPA touring the flood scenes in the area

Tidal waves invaded the community again earlier this year and displaced 50 people, leaving Sallakope with a population of about 1,500 now.

Many of the people now live in makeshift structures, looking towards the sea and in constant fear of another tidal wave invasion.

During a visit to the community some days ago by the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Professor Nana Ama Brown Klutse, the Chief Fisherman of Sallakope, Emmanuel Anum Tettey, said the sea was advancing at a faster and scary rate.

He said death was now a frequent occurrence at Sallakope because hunger was prevailing in the community with no sign of relief on the horizon.

No livelihood

Mr Tettey explained that the aggressive sea had now taken away the livelihood of the people of Sallakope.

  James Gunu (right), Volta Regional Minister, and Professor Nana Ama Brown Klutse (middle), EPA CEO, presenting some relief items to a member of the community

“Although we are still determined to go fishing, our nets now catch broken cement blocks and coconut trees, which are among the debris dragged into the sea by the retreating waves,” he revealed.

What used to be decent houses are now in the sea, which has also claimed numerous corpses and coffins from the cemetery.

With no land to farm, the chief fisherman said hunger in the community was severe, and children went to school hungry.

“We all have fishing nets, but they now serve little purpose,” Mr Tettey moaned.

Meanwhile, he said, some people from Sallakope were evacuating themselves to Agbozume and other nearby communities on higher lands.

Stalled defence wall

Mr Tettey insisted that the only solution to the problem rested in the completion of the sea defence wall project in the area, which took off and stalled some years ago.

However, he said that must be preceded by the dredging of the sea along the coast of the community, to clear the waters of the massive debris.

The chief fisherman described the visit by the regional minister and the CEO of EPA as heartwarming and a renewal of hope for the people of Sallakope.

“For years, uncompassionate politicians were insensitive to our plight, so we can only look up to you now for respite,” he added.

Village in distress

For now, Sallakope is a rapidly diminishing village in distress, sorrow and agony.

At night, the residents wake up at frequent intervals to see if the raging sea is close to them again.

It is hoped that the assurance from the regional minister and EPA CEO that immediate steps would be taken to protect the remaining stretch of the community and send the sea back would materialise sooner than later.

Otherwise, Sallakope would soon drown in the sea without a trace.

The regional minister and the EPA CEO later presented a consignment of food items to the people, which the chief fisherman described as a source of interim relief.

Meanwhile, the situation in the nearby sister communities of Agavedzi and Amutinu is equally terrible, as the people live in constant fear of tidal wave invasions.