Politics of Friday, 20 July 2012

Source: GNA

Better Ghana Agenda is moving everywhere—ET Mensah

“The train of Government’s Better Ghana Agenda is on course and is delivering to improve living conditions of the citizenry,” Mr. Enoch Teye Mensah, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing said on Friday.

He stressed that it was not difficult to observe achievements accomplished by Government, saying “people everywhere could feel, touch and see that their lives were impacted positively as a result of government’s socio-economic interventions.”

Mr. Mensah said this when he embarked on a working visit to the Dzita-Anyanui Sea Defense project in the Keta District of the Volta Region, to ascertain works done so far under Phase II of the project.

The second phase scheduled for completion by end of October 2012, involves the construction of groynes (a coastal engineering build from an ocean floor to interrupt water flow and to prevent long shore drift) 1 kilometre into the sea and to protect the boulders along 1.5 kilometre stretch of the shore line.

The 11-million dollar project is being funded by Government.

The first phase of the Dzita-Anyanui sea defense project has been completed at a cost of 30 million dollars and it involved the construction of a two-kilometre road and the laying of strong wire mesh to protect the coastline against the waves.

The completion of the project is expected to bring to an end the persistent degradation of the coastal stretch of the Keta municipality.

The continuous pounding of the seashore by the waves had led to the collapse of buildings and threatened the economic livelihood of the communities along some portions of the coast in the municipality.

Mr. Mensah commended the management of Amandi Limited (AL), the engineers for their hard work and added that they had met Government’s expectations.

Mr. David Benayun, Chief Engineer for AL, gave the assurance that his outfit would meet the deadline for completion of the projects.

The Minister, accompanied by journalists, earlier toured the sea defense project being undertaken by AL at Sakumono near Tema. Whiles there, he inspected the 25 million-dollar project and expressed satisfaction with works done so far.

According to Mr. Benayun, works were 70 per cent complete.

He said the company had employed the use of geotechnical cells to protect the 1.5 kilometre-long boulders from being gradually eroded by rainwater.

Mr. Benayun said the cells would use green grass which would serve as vegetative cover to absorb the sheet of rains.**