The deceased were part of 11 passengers on-board the canoe returning from a church service in Mawuvi Kofe to Dzagbeshi Kofe; all satellite communities in the Krachi East Municipality of Volta Region.

[contextly_sidebar id=”LQxGOTxOdvokDEmFNKjUy9d9loHiY82J”]The survivors recounted that they were on-board in the middle of the journey when the canoe was caught in a heavy storm and later hit a tree stump which caused it to capsize.

The Municipal National Disaster Management Organization NADMO boss, Dasievor Jacob, who confirmed the incident to Citi News, said all the nine dead bodies were retrieved from the River.

The deceased have been identified as Joyce Atali aged 16 years, Bensah Atali, 21, Edward Atali, 18, Dormenyo Atali, 2, Amedzuwoe Akor, 22, Lucy Tsatsu, 19, Xolali Tsatsu, 18, Mkpebi Maabo, 30, and Adwoa Mkpebu, 19.

The bodies were later sent to the Worawora Government Hospital for postmortem and onward burial. Mr. Dasievor cautioned the users of canoes to put on their life jackets and ensure the canoes are not overloaded.

Transportation on most Rivers in Ghana is largely unsafe, and very little is done by government to ensure the safety of users.

12-month old baby, 12 others drown in River Offin

In October 2017, 13 people, including a one-year-old, drowned in the same River Offin.

The victims who are farmers, were using a boat to the other side of the river when it capsized.

Two teachers, student drown in River Volta

Also in March 2017, two teachers and a student from Sadzikofe Basic School, Tornu on Have-Kpando road in the Afadzato South District, drowned in the Dayi river; a tributary of River Volta while crossing the river.

The late Terry Asamoah, William Ahiati and their final year JHS Student, were said to be on-board a wooden boat with other teachers to buy fresh fish in the next town when the boat hit a stump in the river, causing a leakage that capsized it.

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By: King Nobert Akpabli/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 2 pregnant women, 7 others drown in boat disaster on River Oti appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The passengers, who told Citi News they had been waiting for the ferry to dock since morning, said it was rather seen cruising on the River fully loaded with merry makers.

[contextly_sidebar id=”qoozhRHGv2V8NhBVUJduZmc4djFBQudw”]The funfair which lasted for the entire day, saw frustrated passengers watch the pontoon in despair.

“I got here at 1:00 am and I have been here since. When I came I saw the ferry on the water, I thought it has taken passengers and was going to the other bank. Little did I know that they have gone to make merry. As I speak now , I don’t know when they would get here even though I can see them far away in the River” a commuter narrated.

It is unclear what may have informed operators of the ferry to engage in such an activity at the expense of the impatient travelers, but some residents said they were hired by the Member of Parliament and District Chief Executive for the area.

When contacted, the MP of Krachie East, Michael Dzato, denied the claims, explaining he and the Chief Executive were out of town when the said incident occurred.

The Oti River, which is an extension of the Volta River, is the major access route from the other parts of the Volta Region to the extreme north of the region, and to a large extent the northern part of the country.

The area, which is a food hub for the country, produces yam and other tuber crops, which are often transported down south.

Attempts by Citi News attempts to reach the captains on the ferry have not been successful.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Pontoon abandons passengers to cruise with merry makers on Oti River appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Currently, residents are resorting to dams, boreholes and water from tankers as the Yendi water treatment plant is low on water.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Hab8d85bUGqEb1d5hUWa3vhXWOBYT8nz”]The source of water for the plant, the River Dakar, has dried up due to detrimental human activity along its banks, leading to siltation, according to the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), which is hoping for early rainfall to bring some relief.

The Public Relations Officer for the GWCL, Nii Abbey, revealed the situation to Citi News, and said his outfit was in the short-term, policing the banks of the river while assisting with water supply from tankers.

“The water levels in Yendi, as far as the River Dakar is concerned, is very low and this has to do with the rate of evaporation and the human activity there. What we have been able to do as a company is that we are liaising with the municipal assembly to patrol the river whilst the company will be mounting polytank at vantage points.”

“People are farming so close to the river banks. The same river we are drawing from is the same river people are using for other things… so it has caused a lot of siltation in the river and this is also affecting our production.”

River Dakar not sufficient

Ultimately, Mr. Abbey explained that the River Dakar could not meet the needs of the Yendi Township hence the need for a new treatment plant, probably on the River Oti.

“The truth of the matter is that, the growth of the Yendi Township today far outstrips the supply we are doing and so going forward, the long-term plan will be to have a new treatment plant on the River Oti because the River Oti has enough volumes of water which we can rely on as compared to the River Dakar.”

“So our proposal for the long-term is that we have a new treatment plant on the River Oti, and it can take care of the growing demand of the Yendi township.”

Effects of sand winning, illegal mining on water

Illegal mining has ravaged some major rivers in the Eastern and Brong Ahafo Regions, leading to the shut down of some treatment plants that rely on affected rivers.

But Mr. Abbey was happy to note that,  his region did not have issues with illegal mining. The problem his outfit has to contend with, however sand winning.

“Sand winning is happening seriously on both the River Dakar and the White Volta, where we also do some extraction for the Tamale Township. For the past three years, this has been going on and the way things are going its likely that towards the end of this month or early April, we will be in a crisis as far as Yendi is concerned. That is if we don’t get early rains.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Yendi Township faces water crisis as River Dakar dries up appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.