Keta tidal waves force families to exhume their deceased relatives for reburial

Residents of Amutinu, Salakope, Adina, and surrounding communities in the Ketu South Municipality are calling for urgent government intervention as persistent tidal waves continue to cause widespread destruction. Despite repeated appeals for the Keta Sea Defense project to be extended to these areas, locals remain vulnerable to the harsh effects of coastal erosion.

In recent weeks, the waves have caused severe damage to properties and even affected graves, forcing families to exhume their deceased relatives for reburial. The growing devastation has left many displaced and without shelter.

Previous government promises to construct 105 houses on higher ground as part of a relocation plan have largely gone unmet, with only six homes having been completed and roofed. This lack of progress on both the housing project and the sea defence plan has left residents frustrated and seeking immediate solutions.

Gideon Tetteh, a Unit Committee member for the Amutinu-Salakope electoral area, expressed the urgent need for government action. He highlighted the failure to address both the erosion crisis and the promised relocation efforts, calling on the government to fulfil its commitments.

“The sea has destroyed properties here, and we’ve had many promises from the government, but nothing has happened. Only six of the 105 promised homes have been built, and the sea defence project is nowhere to be seen. The situation is worsening with each tidal surge, and we plead for the government to help us,” Tetteh said.

The ongoing hardship in these coastal communities underscores the need for timely intervention to mitigate the damage and provide affected residents with the support they desperately need.