Displaced Appiatse residents would be resettled – EPA Executive Director

The Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu has paid a working visit to Appiatse, near Bogoso in the Prestea-Huni Valley Municipality of the Western Region last week.

He was accompanied by the Deputy Executive Director of EPA in-charge of Chemical Control and Management Centre, Dr. Ransford Sekyi, Director of Mining, Mr. Sandow Ali, Western Regional Director, Mr. George Diewuoh, Tarkwa Regional Director, Mr. Prosper Yaw Nkrumah, the Municipal Chief Executive of Prestea-Huni Valley, Dr. Isaac Dasmani and others.

Addressing the media after inspecting the area, Dr. Kokofu said the visit was to join the forces like the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Fire Service, NADMO and other relevant agencies who which played a major role to bring comfort to the victims.

He appealed to the people of Appiatse to exercise restraint as government and other benevolent people put the necessary arrangements in place to resettle the displaced inhabitants.

He said the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia had earlier told the inhabitants of Appiatse that government would consult all relevant bodies to help in the reconstruction of the community.

Dr. Kokofu said the good news was that the blasting did not make the place uninhabitable so his office after taking samples of the soil and water from different locations would test the samples in the laboratories and return with the report.

The Executive Director asked the assembly to write to the EPA for a permit for the reconstruction of the community and after all the debris had been collected the construction work could start.

He appealed to the inhabitants especially the youth to exercise restraint as government teamed up with other bodies to find a solution to the problem.

The MCE, Dr. Dasmani on his part said the visit of the EPA team was very timely because it would enable him write for the permit to begin the reconstruction of Appiatse.

He thanked all the agencies for contributing in diverse ways to bring comfort to the people and appealed for more relief items for the displaced.

The EPA also donated 200 bags of cement towards the improvement of the temporary structures allocated to the displaced persons.

From Peter Gbambila, Appiatse