By Benard Worlali Awumee
Aflorto (V/R), Aug. 30, GNA – Some remote communities in the Anloga District have decried their difficulty in accessing major towns in the district, describing the situation as frustrating.
The residents of Aflorto, Vorvornukope and Sodzi, whose major occupation include mat weaving and fishing, said they struggled to get to other parts of the district, especially the capital for mostly, economic activities and noted that the situation was adversely affecting their livelihood.
They said they had two alternatives to get to the main road, cross Tordzi River in a canoe to Salo, a town along the Keta-Dabala highway or go through Adzato-Agortoe feeder road, which becomes inaccessible during the raining season, to Agortoe near Salo.
When Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the three communities, it came out that there is electricity supply, potable water and a basic school with a population of about 200 pupils, serving the three Shime communities but no feeder road, only access road which had become impassable due to flooding caused by the overflow of the Tordzi River.
Mr Freeman Doe Gakpetor, a resident, summed travelling to and from the communities as hectic, dangerous and a drain on finances.
“We take this canoe to the other bank, then walk to the next stream where we board another canoe to Salo before taking car to wherever we want to go to. Sometimes, the canoes capsize but due to our ability to swim, we recover and continue the journey.
When it comes to transporting sick people and pregnant women, we lay wooden boards on the canoe and put them on the boards to get them to the other bank to reach Salo and continue the journey. At times we use the other way to Agortoe Health Centre.”
Another resident, who would not disclose her identity, narrated the difficulty in transporting their produce to market centres.
“We go to Anloga or Dabala markets to sell our mats, farm products and fish, but no car comes to this place. So, we have to use the other route at Kpordui where we board canoe across the small stream before taking motorbike to Adzato then continue to Dabala or Anloga.”
Because this is a marshy area, these problems are reduced during the dry season when all the streams dry up making it accessible, but the recent heavy downpour flooded the Tordzi River to its brim,” she added.
Efo Dzidzornu, a canoe owner, said such times were exciting moments for them saying, despite the risk involved in transporting people across the river, “it is a lucrative business for us especially during the rainy season and we make good money during funerals and market days.”
GNA