KEEA:Rampant sand winning threatens businesses along the coast.

Coast

Investments in the shape of hotels, beach resorts and other structures along the coastal stretch of Elmina and some surrounding villages are gradually coming under the threat of being washed away by the tidal waves as a result of rampant sand winning.

The practice that has been the norm for some estate developers and contractors for the some three years now, is also threatening the livelihood of rural communities along the coast.

Environmentalists have warned that the entire area risk losing its vegetative cover and portions of land to the marauding tidal waves if the trend is not halted.

Reports say the sand diggers and carriers earn a daily wage of between GHs 15 and GHs 20 making the venture a very lucrative one and a good source of employment thereby attracting more people to it.

According to the manager of the Elmina Beach Resort Mr. Benjamin Idan the intensity of the land degrading practice has exposed some investment to the sea waves which has washed some of them away whiles others remain threatened.

He said as many as 150 truck load of sand leave the shore on daily basis over the past three years leaving in their wake gaping holes at various spots along the coastal stretch.

He expressed worry that if the trend is not reversed the waves will wash away almost everything in its way in the near future.

The Regional Director of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Mr. Kwesi Owusu Sekyere said the situation has compelled his outfit to collaborate with the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to put in place security measures to make the venture impossible to undertake.

This includes the blocking of access route to and from the shore.

Arojah Amadi-Ferguson/Ghanadistricts.com