Sand winning is one of the new businesses practiced by some business tycoons across the country and in the Volta region especially the southern parts of the region.
The contractors involved in the business are currently undergoing a one-week land reclamation exercise at Kpoglu in the Ketu South Municipality.
The companies namely; H2KA Limited, Volta Marbles, Rocks Quarry Limited, and Rich Arrow Limited have been winning sand in the Ketu South legally for some time now and had to reclaim the over 60 acres of land destroyed by the sand winning.
The above-mentioned companies and other companies had extracted these sands to meet the growing demand for construction materials, leaving behind a scarred landscape and depleted ecosystems but realized the urgent need to reclaim the lands dugged during the sand-winning process.
The over 60 acres of lands according to the CEO of H2KA Limited, Hukporti Kpelly Kofi Anani even though were not all used by the above-mentioned companies involved in the sand winning, saw the need to reclaim all the lands in the areas to pave the way for other developmental projects like vegetable farming.
Mr Hukporti noted that, Ketu South does not have clan lands but rather family lands and it is leaders of such families with lands who leased the lands to them for sand winning after which they usually reclaim the land.
Mr. Hukporti said there is a need for all companies involved in the legal business of sand winning to make sure that all lands are reclaimed properly for other activities, especially for agricultural purposes.
Mr. Hukporti Kpelly Kofi Anani said farmlands engulfed by desertification, encroachment and issues of environmental degradation must be well looked at for a more sustainable future.
Mr Hukporti Kpelly being a businessman who cares about his people and is connected to their culture and environment, is very much aware his business needs to evolve to survive and contribute positively to his community.
”I know we need to make sure that our environment is not destroyed by activities of sand winning and I have been reclaiming lands together with other contractors and we will always continue to make sure that all lands used for the sand winning are reclaimed and on time” he said.
Mr Hukporti Kpelly Kofi Anani said currently they have halted the sand extraction in the most ecologically sensitive areas, and shorelines where erosion had become a major problem by planting beach grasses, and other plants like coconut to protect the areas.
Mr. Hukporti Kpelly Kofi Anani said, that to ensure the well-being of the marine life that has suffered for years, there are plans to have research programs funded to monitor and protect the local ecosystem
Joshua Agbo-McSamuel, with Volta Marbles and Rocks Quarry Limited who is one of the contractors involved in the reclamation was excited about the exercise and hopes that it continues to give relief to the people involved.
Joshua Agbo-McSamuel from the Volta Marbles and Rocks Quarry Limited said though it is not the first time they are undertaking reclamation, they have plans to make sure that they give back to the various communities they win sands from.
He said they had discussions with some residents who were initially not interested in the reclaiming of the lands but should rather be used for some other activities like fishing in large quantities.
Joshua Agbo-McSamuel said they diversified their business by investing in sustainable practices, and building state-of-the-art facilities to recycle construction waste and reuse materials.
”This did not only reduce their environmental footprint but also created new job opportunities for the townspeople”
Joshua Agbo-McSamuel said they have plans to expand their restoration projects beyond the shoreline and turned their attention to the desertified farmlands, employing innovative techniques to restore soil fertility and promote sustainable agriculture.
Some of the locals and landowners were excited about the exercise and prayed that things go as planned to have a more beautiful environment even after winning of sand and other activities, while some of them also advocated for a dam to have a huge fish farm which will bring job opportunities to the residents, especially the youths
The Ketu South Assembly has stopped all activities of sand winning until further notice. The Assembly makes sure that reclamation takes place every three months.
Ecosystem can be affected by land reclamation, either positively or negatively, depending on the design and management of the reclaimed land. For example, land reclamation can increase the provision of food or energy, but also reduce the regulation of water quality or erosion.