A joint investigation conducted by Seismologists and Geoscientists from the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA), the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), and the Twifo Attimokwa District Assembly has revealed that the suspected earth tremor in Twifo-Mampong was, in fact, a landslide.
According to the GGSA, the movement in the land, which occurred on a steep hill with cocoa plantations, was a result of heavy rainfall the previous day, Thursday, June 29.
The authority assured farmers in the affected areas that they can continue their farming activities but should stay away from such areas when there are signs of rainfall.
Mr. Isaac Kuuwan Mwinbelle, the Acting Director-General of GGSA, confirmed in a statement that an investigation carried out on Tuesday, July 11 involved residents in the area who confirmed that they did not feel any ground shaking but observed that several cocoa trees were destroyed.
The GGSA clarified, “The Authority wishes to state that monitoring records from our network of seismic stations located across the country did not record any major earth tremor event from the stations on the said date. However, minor earth disturbances recorded during the period did not have the potential to cause the impact that was recorded. The geological materials observed at the site were highly weathered metasediments, which were saturated from the heavy downpour, resulting in the movement of materials in multiple locations along the slopes of the hill,” said Mr. Mwinbelle.
Fortunately, the landslide occurred far away from settlements and did not affect lives or property. However, this event serves as a warning against potential development along the slopes of hills.
Mr. Mwinbelle emphasized the need for proper enforcement of land-use planning and advised against infrastructure development along such unstable areas.
He further advised Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies to enforce effective land-use planning to ensure public safety.
