Accra (Greater Accra) 13 April '99

President Jerry John Rawlings has led a team of technical experts to inspect the proposed Korle Lagoon dredging project, as well as work being done to contain sea erosion along the coastline between Accra and Ada. The tour, carried out last Saturday and Sunday, took the team to Ada and Keta Lagoon, as well as parts of the Northern Region. A top official of the Volta River Authority (VRA) told newsmen in Accra on Monday that at Ada, the team inspected a project being undertaken by VRA to clear a sand bar at the estuary of the Volta River to allow sea water to flow into it. This will kill bacteria, which produce bilharzia so as to protect the tourism industry at Ada. The team inspected a channel between the Volta River and the Keta Lagoon, which the VRA would dredge to allow water to flow into the Lagoon. The Lagoon provides livelihood for thousands of people living along its banks. The VRA official said the team carried out an aerial survey of the Volta Lake at the point near Debre, where rocky shoals prevent Volta Lake Transport Company vessels from reaching Buipe in the Northern Region. These vessels carry heavy cargo including fuel. The VRA is attempting to remove the rock shoals, but this is considered "a limited operation as VRA does not have the appropriate machines to do the job." The official said he was hopeful that when the agreement between the Ghana and the Dutch governments becomes operational, equipment from the Dutch Maritime Management International would become available for the completion of the project. Under the agreement, AMRO, a Dutch commercial bank, will provide 65 per cent of the cost of the equipment and services, while the Dutch government would give the remaining 35 per cent in grants. The dredging would involve about 7,000 cubic metres of hard rock. In addition to clearing the rock formation, there will be additional 80,000 cubic metres of sand to be dredged between Debre and Buipe, a distance of about 32 kilometres.