Kwame Agbodza, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Adaklu, Governs, visited the Adaklu-Helekpe mudslide areas on Thursday to observe firsthand the damage caused to the town the night before.
Mr. Agbodza voiced concerns about the rate at which the Adaklu Mountain’s vegetative cover was disappearing at a meeting with the community’s chiefs and elders prior to the visit.
That may have contributed to the mudslide’s terrible downslope speed, along with other unfavourable human activity on the mountain.
The Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr. Agbodza, stated that since Adaklu-Helekpe was endowed with a large amount of rich land, it was time to stop tilling the mountain slopes and move down onto the community’s property for farming.
He suggested that what transpired on Wednesday might be a precursor to a more catastrophic event from the mountain, recalling a similar incidence that occurred in the hamlet nine years prior.
James Gunu, the Volta Regional Minister who accompanied the MP, shared similar views and stated that it was time for the locals to start engaging in nature conservation initiatives to stop similar incidents in the future.
He praised the young people in the neighbourhood for saving the woman and her son who were stuck in the rubble despite the severe winds and power outage.
When discussing climate change, the regional minister stated that extensive cultivation of mountain slopes, tree-cutting, and bush fires were not safe or friendly ways to deal with the issue.
“We must ensure the future generations become inheritors and not just survivors,” he added.
The injured woman and the kid who were admitted to the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) were later visited by the MP and regional minister.
Source: newsthemegh.com