More than 40 houses in Kelee, a coastal community in the Weija Gbawe Municipality of the Greater Accra Region, have been submerged by the advancing sea, leaving residents in fear of losing their entire settlement.
Speaking to Citi News, affected residents expressed growing concerns over the rapid encroachment of the sea, warning that without immediate intervention, the entire community could be wiped out.
According to the residents, the shoreline was once over 400 meters away from their homes, but over time, the sea has moved dangerously close, swallowing homes and even a school that once served the community.
As a result, Citi News understands that some schoolchildren have been forced to seek education in Wiaboman, a nearby town.
Joseph Addy, one of the few remaining residents whose home is on the brink of destruction, shared his distress over the relentless tidal waves.
“I am already in the sea because right now, the sea has gone bad. So when the sea is full, the back of my house becomes its resting place and it has been eating my walls.
“There is no money for me to go and rent another house so we are managing and we are pleading with the government to come and aid and support us.”
Residents believe the connecting of the estuary into the sea as part of efforts to reduce the excess water from the Weija dam is the cause of the problem.
Principal Disaster Control Officer for the National Disaster Management Organization in Weija Ebenezer Boakye says the construction of a sea defense will address the issue.
“We are of the view that we need to be able to get something like sea defense to protect the people else in some few years to come, we may lose the whole township of Kelee.”
