Community leaders and fisherfolk from Tsokome Community in Bortianor, a fishing enclave in Accra, are calling on the government to dredge the local river and construct a canal connecting the sea to the river to enhance their fishing activities.
Authorities are becoming increasingly alarmed as weeds progressively clog the community’s river. Leaders point out that a formerly existing canal, now obstructed by accumulated sand, compounds the issue.
They elaborate that this obstruction hampers the flow of sea and river water, adversely affecting fish yields and driving up fish prices in the vicinity.
Speaking to ChannelOne News, Emmanuel Aryitey, the Assembly member for the Bortianor Electoral area, shed light on the challenges encountered.
He said, “The canoes find it difficult to move on the water as they get locked because the river is shallow now. And when the river is shallow, they will not get fish. The deeper the river is, the more it breeds fishes for us. Now fish is very expensive in this community. You may think it is a fishing community and so you will get it at a cheaper price, but it is very expensive as we don’t get it like we used to get. We used to get the small fishes that we used to enjoy our kenkey but now we don’t get it again. We have to go far to the Densu river.”
He stressed the immediate necessity of river dredging, highlighting that residents have resorted to dumping waste along the riverbanks.
“You see, because the river is shallow, when the water is spilled from Weija dam, it overflows into people’s houses. Because it is shallow, the water doesn’t sit in the river. That is why the people are dumping rubbish all over here, which is worrying.”
Fisherman and traditional leader in Tsokome, Sentse Aklama, narrated a recent river accident and urged prompt government intervention.
“Recently, more than thirty school children crossing the river on a boat perished, and nothing has been done by the government on the issue. It is disheartening. The lives of our children are at risk.”
Several fishermen also spoke to ChannelOne News, underscoring the need for the government to address these urgent issues.
One of them, Francis Susuawa, expressed concern about the inability of women to cross the river due to its current state and the absence of the canal.
He stated, “The situation prevents the women who usually buy fish from us to come all the way to us on the river, which is usually disturbing. This has seriously impacted our job negatively. So if the government could come to our aid and fix the canal for us, that would be awesome so that could serve as a channel for us to meet the women who buy from us.
In the meantime, the Assembly member affirms that government intervention will yield revenue for the nation.
“All that we are praying for is that the government will come and dredge the river to its original state. It was from Bojo to Kusum Beach. That was how it was. And the canal was in it. It was very, very beautiful. If the government invests money into this river, the government is going to get its money back.”