Team sprays snake villages

A team of experts has been put together to ascertain the causes of the invasion of the Kwaaso and Essienimpong communities in the Ejisu Municipality by snakes.

The team, made up of personnel from the Plant Quarantine Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Game and Wildlife Division and the National Disaster and Management Organisation (NADMO), is also to institute remedial measures to stop the snake invasion and protect the people.

As part of its work, the team undertook the spraying of the affected communities last Saturday.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr John Alexander Ackon, who put together the team, told the Daily Graphic that after its work, the team would be able to proffer advice on how to deal with the situation.

Aftermath

Members of the two communities are still experiencing the invasion of the snakes that have been declared non-venomous, but in reduced numbers, with areas that recorded 87 now seeing only seven after the spraying ordered by the regional minister.

Though the two areas have been sprayed, their assembly members tell Daily Graphic that the number of snakes they sighted had reduced just minimally.

The assembly members for Essienimpong and Kwaaso respectively, Mr Daniel Nimo and Patrick Frimpong, blamed the influx of the snakes at night on the dark environment, especially areas without street lights.

Mr Frimpong said areas where he had personally fixed street lights had very few snakes and after the spraying exercise, the numbers had reduced drastically.

Mr Nimo said areas and houses that had adequate outside lighting rarely witnessed huge numbers and expressed the belief that the spraying should be complemented by the provision of adequate streets lights.

Background

Snakes have been invading the Kwaaso and Essienimpong communities in large numbers after 7 p.m. since March 14, 2016, and scaring the inhabitants. Some households could kill as many as 87 snakes a night.

Various reasons have been cited for the unusual invasion of the snakes, which has been described by the people as unprecedented. Some of the people have even claimed that it is a punishment from the gods, who are infuriated by the increased number of youth who have sex in the bush.