A myriad of problems continue to confront fisher folk at Kpong in the Lower Manya Krobo District in the Eastern Region. Prominent among them is the issue of aquatic weeds that have sprung up and taken over portions of the river banks of the Volta Lake. The presence of the weeds has posed severe challenges to fisher folk and the need for authorities to deal with the issue.
Note, the problem doesn’t just affect the fishermen but all who find themselves in the value chain of fish farming including the fisher folk, fish sellers, processors as well as the consumer.
In this story, some fisher folk reveal to ritefmonline, the problems aquatic weeds have posed to and continue to pose to their farming activities over the years.
Speaking to Raymond Ayike Gborson the assembly man for Ahodwo electoral area, a suburb of Kpong and part of the fishing community, he indicated that they were aware of the problem and have had a number of engagements with the Volta River Authority, the managers of the Volta Lake. He said the problem needs to be tackled once and for all due to the drying up of the lake by the weeds.
He advised his people to desist from dumping sewage and refuse into the river body which he says serve as fertilizer to aquatic weeds.
Yaw Rasta, a fisherman at Kpong has lived here all his life and gravely laments that fish catch in the Volta River has reduced to an all-time low yield due to the presence of the aquatic weeds. He says until recently, aquatic weeds did not exist at Kpong and also believes the problem could be some punishment from the River gods for some misdeeds of the fisher folk.
He further explains that the fishes take cover under the shrubs of the aquatic weeds making fishing very difficult.
Another fisherman calls on authorities to come to their aid since he is now unable to feed his family because of low or no harvest.
Yaokpor Gabriel, a twelve year old boy who goes fishing with his father equally has complains about the aquatic weeds which enter their nets making their nets very difficult to pull out spoke with ritefmonline.
But the problem is not just the fisher man’s headache. This woman who sells at the harbor also calls on the authorities to expedite action in clearing the weeds.
A security man employed to guard the equipment for clearing the weeds we spoke with indicated to us that the people contracted to clear the weeds were on leave. He however indicated that clearing the weeds did not always guarantee the end of the problem since in no time the weeds sprung up again.
Ibrahim is a resident at Kpong and a keen follower of the fisher folk and their fishing activities. He believes the issue of aquatic weeds has largely affected fish harvest here.
Now the question is who is responsible for the clearing of aquatic weeds along the Kpong fishing harbor?
Ibrahim thinks the Lake is the property of the VRA and therefore their responsibility to manage and clear the weeks. He also mentions that the Volta River Authority has the oversight responsibility of clearing the weeds from the river. He reiterated to us that, this responsibility, they have largely neglected. He however proposes the use of a weedicide to manage the aquatic weeks
The Municipal Chief Executive of Lower Manya, Mr. Fredrick Acolatse also tells us that the Volta River Authority is responsible for managing the weeds. He promises to liaise with and remind the environmental unit of VRA to confront the problem since it is their mandate to do so.
A table discussion with the environmental unit of VRA was done by the Rite team but they were not ready for us to put them on record. They admitted that the equipment to remove the weeds have issues but they were still trying their best to get some manual workers to help.
They called on the community members to check the human activities such as the damping of refuse and defecating in the river since it is the major factor for the rapid growth of the weeds.
We hope authorities will help so we do not loss this great assert and source of livelihood for the people.
Source: ritefmonline.org
