Adidome, April 9, GNA - Participants at the People's Assemblies at Adidome and Sogakope in the North and South Tongu Districts respectively have appealed to government to pay special attention to the development of communities in the Lower Volta Basin.

A participant, Madam Vivian Kpodo, said though the Akosombo Dam was a national asset, that facility had negatively affected the ecology of areas along the Volta Lake, bringing untold hardship to many. She said the presence of water-borne diseases, mainly, bilharzia, as well as the dwindling prospects of agricultural production due to the fast fading land f ertility in the area were to be blamed on the hydro project. Madam Christiana Atsu said the Volta River along Adidome needed to be dredged to rejuvenate large-scale oyster breeding as it was done at Ada in the Dangbe-West District.

Others called for the extension of electricity and potable water to all communities in the area as a matter of urgency. Mr Kofi Dzamesi, Volta Regional Minister said government would heed calls from every community for development projects and urged the district assemblies to consider the requests of the participants. Captain Nkrabea Effah-Darteh (Rtd), Deputy Minister for the Interior consented to a questioner's demand that security lights be fixed on the Lower Volta Bridge at Sogakope.

He said the People's Assembly concept was an important opportunity for national peace-building and education on state programmes that no government should abandon.