Stories by Bernice Bessey
The Dr. F. V. Bruce Junior High School on the Accra Beach Road at Korle-Gono in the Accra Metropolis is in danger of sea erosion, due to massive illegal sand winning embarked upon by some youth of the community.
The school, which lay quite a distance off the Korle-Gonno Beach, now lies less than 100 metres away from the Atlantic Ocean because of unlawful sand winning activities.
According to information gathered from the school authorities the practice is an age-long activity engaged in by the people.
One of the teachers, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, indicated to the Accra File that the issue had been severally reported to the Assembly Member and the police in charge of the area, but no effective measures have been embarked upon to put an end to the activity.
“Some time ago, the police came round to make some arrests, but nothing good came out of that action, since then, the people are back mining sand more than before,” he said.
What saddens the file is that the school is part of selected schools the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) is constructing into the Millennium City Schools project, which is aimed at permanently ending the shift system, as well as providing modern infrastructure to meet contemporary education needs.
He noted that the activity of the sand winners clearly has a serious effect on the future of the millions of cedis educational institution.
He called on the AMA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to come to the aid of the school and the community.
Sand winning, according to information gathered by the file, is a common activity practiced some residents of coastal communities.
During the visit of the Accra File to the Korle-Gonno and Chorkor beaches, young men, in broad daylight, were busy making blocks out of the sand, which is meant to serve as a sea defence.
With the huge numbers of cement blocks seen packed on the shores of the two communities, the file clearly estimated that over ten thousand (10,000) blocks were produced daily.
While some illegal operators instantly produce cement blocks at the shores, some also prefer collecting the sand into sacks and sell to interested persons.
Ghana, like other nations that fall along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean, over the years is facing severe sea erosion due to human activities such as sand winning, and also natural factors.
Scientists have shown that in the past there have been periods of significant sea level changes due to natural factors. However, current measurements and predictions indicate that human activity is now the major driving force.
As the human factor also contributes to shoreline environmental destruction, the practice of sea sand mining must be put to a stop by the city authorities and the EPA for a better tomorrow.