Agavedzi, Salakope, and Amutinu—once thriving coastal communities in the Volta Region—are now reduced to shadows of their former selves, ravaged by relentless tidal waves.
These waves have destroyed homes, farmlands, and even cemeteries, leaving hundreds of families stranded in conditions unfit for human dignity.
In a situation that echoes the aftermath of war, entire families—men, women, and children—can be seen sleeping by the roadside, seeking refuge under the cold night air and dim streetlights. In Agavedzi, a family has even been forced to live inside a premix fuel facility, sharing space with highly flammable products due to a lack of alternatives.
A Forgotten Promise: The Abandoned Housing Project
Amid this crisis, abandoned housing units—intended to provide shelter for displaced residents—now stand as monuments to broken promises. The structures, meant to offer hope, have deteriorated over the years, now overrun with weeds and crumbling walls. The residents, who desperately need shelter, can only watch as these buildings stand vacant.
The Emotional Toll
The emotional and psychological toll on residents is severe. Parents helplessly watch their children sleep on empty stomachs. Young mothers cradle their babies on bare ground, shivering through the night, while elderly residents wander, unable to accept their homelessness. The heartbreaking act of exhuming the remains of loved ones, forced by the encroaching sea, has intensified their pain.
A Deafening Silence from Authorities
Despite government officials and MPs visiting the affected communities, their presence has yielded only empty promises. Bureaucratic processes continue, but families remain without shelter or food, and no clear plan for relocation has been provided. The people of these communities have been left with no real solutions, their suffering ignored.
A forgotten promise: the decaying housing project
The emotional and psychological toll
A Call for Urgent Action
This humanitarian crisis demands immediate intervention. The government must revive the abandoned housing project to provide shelter for the displaced. Emergency relief—food, tents, and medical aid—must be sent to those sleeping on the streets. Most importantly, sea defense projects must be expedited to protect the remaining communities from further devastation.
If urgent action is not taken, more families will be left homeless, more children will suffer, and more lives will be lost—not only to the tidal waves but also to the neglect of those in power. The time to act is now. The people of Agavedzi, Salakope, and Amutinu deserve better.
A deafening silence from authorities
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