Editorial

Botwe slum under Okaikwei Municipal Assembly is a nuisance

Dear Editor,

I wish to draw your attention to activities of slum dwellers within the Botwe community of the Okakwei Municipal Assembly.

The activities of the people continue to affect the lives of residents and the beauty of the area.

The area lack proper places of convenience, in the process leaving the community and gutters polluted with human excreta and other waste material.

As a result, people are seen openly defecating in the big drain.

The situation has become unbearable for residents of the area who hardly come by any fresh air to breath from an atmosphere polluted and accompanied by a terrible stench.

Also the gutters are polluted with rubbish and other waste material, impeding the free flow of water into the big drain.

Recently, officials from the Okaikwei Municipal Assembly stormed the area after constant reports from the residents about the activities of these dwellers.

Sadly, nothing has changed after those visits. We have not seen any action from them. All we are asking the authorities to do is to find a solution to this problem. What is happening there is an eyesore.

A long term solution, I suggest will be a demolition of the springing slum and the land used properly for the good of the community.

I urge the authorities to prioritise this issue and help address this concerns to ensure a good life for the residents.

Thank you.

Yours Sincerely,

Tugbewofia Adzo

Editorial

Let’s respect the dead

Dear Editor,

Growing up as a young man, I watched how families of deceased persons paid respect to their beloved ones.

Right from the mortuary to the funeral grounds, the mortal remains of the deceased are always handled with respect to honour them.

Most of the time, individuals who visit the mortuary to bring the body of the deceased home were required to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water.

A traditional belief holds that seeing or coming into contact with dead bodies portends a bad omen and may require spiritual cleansing.

However, in recent times, I have seen a number of videos on social media where corpses are handled without care.

In some of these videos, one could see the body of the corpse carried on the shoulders of friends or being made to stand while friends and families touch and take pictures with it.

I find that weird and at the same time disturbing and thinks a lot about the health implications.

According to some health experts, such an act poses a threat to public health as one may not know the cause of the death of the deceased.

Some have predicted that Ghana could face health crisis such as disease transmission as a result of the pathogens present in decomposing bodies, if care was not taken.

As a concerned individual, I share in the view of the health experts.

I believe that if care is not taken, the actions of the youth in handling dead bodies could lead to the spread of diseases.

I, therefore urge the Ghana Health Service to take the issue seriously and address it to avoid any possible future health crisis.

Atom,
Korle-bu

Editorial

Prevent Keta Township from being engulfed by sea

Have you ever dreamed about waking up to discover that everything you own—including your mattress, roof, and all of your memories – has been lost to the sea?

Since the sea has consumed a sizable portion of Keta in the Volta region, the town’s citizens are in a pitiful position. The sooner action is taken to save the town, the better off everyone will be.

The destruction of the Keta by the sea needs to be addressed immediately, or else the township would eventually be submerged under the water.

Our reporter’s visit showed that this once-thriving seaside resort is gradually disappearing. Keta was once a thriving town known for its business, but now some areas are in ruins, with some of the locals looking on in wonder at the destruction caused by the water.

For the residents of Keta, the Atlantic Ocean is no longer a far-off blue horizon. These days, it relentlessly and without invitation circles around their doorsteps, tearing down walls and other structures, erasing memories, and endangering lives.

Many locals have been forced to live with family or friends after the sea destroyed their homes years ago, and other residents find it hard to comprehend that their once-livable habitat is now in ruins.

The problem is that, apart from residences, Keta’s cultural identity being anchored by monuments are gradually disappearing. One remnant of the transatlantic slave trade, the once-imposing Fort Prinzenstein, is now more of a ruin than a monument.

Once more, the ancient cinema where generations of children used to laugh at flickering black-and-white pictures is no longer there, as is the Bremen factory from the colonial era.

Among other things, the original police station has vanished, and Queen Street, which was once the town’s busy backbone, is now a flooded hallway clogged with rubble. There is still more work to be done despite previous attempts to address the issue since the town is fighting while the sea is winning.

Although water is life, in this instance, it is ruining people’s homes. The situation is serious since the water is destroying the town’s past as quickly as it is claiming its future, despite nature taking its course.

But as humans, our Creator has endowed us with the intelligence to solve problems. The historic town of Keta is now shrouded in uncertainty as the remains of a once-inhabited township are submerged and engulfed by the approaching seas along its coast.

Therefore, it is more efficient to have everyone working together to find a long-term solution to this terrible issue