Twifo-Mampong, (C/R)-Ghana Aug. 21, GNA – Dozens of settler farmers at Twifo-Mampong in the Twifo Atti-Morkwa District of the Central Region, whose farms were partially buried by a landslide, have appealed for support to alleviate their plight.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) on a visit to some devastated farms, observed that major foodstuffs including plantain, cocoyam, cassava, and yam had been destroyed.
The foodstuff being the mainstay of the people, had been washed downhill increasing the plight of already impoverished farmers.
The Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) after a thorough assessment of the landslide warned all the affected farmers to stay away from the shattered areas anytime there were signs of rainfall.
The directive had prevented many farmers from visiting their farms daily, therefore depriving them of their daily income and food.
The situation had been exacerbated by heavy rains, forcing many to depend on relatives or borrow at exorbitant rates as their foodstuff rot in the bushes.
However, the GGSA had revealed that its monitoring records from the network of seismic stations located across the country did not record any major earth tremor event from the community.
It said the geological materials observed at the site were highly weathered material sediments, which were saturated from a downpour leading to the landslide.
The GGSA, concluded that the movement of materials in multiple locations along the slopes of the hill was due to a landslide but not an earthquake or tremor as peddled by the farmers.
Mr Thomas Afful, the Spokesperson for the concerned farmers, told the GNA, day-to-day farming had become a terrifying experience as many of the farmers, women, were unable to visit their farms for fear of a landslide recurrence as warned by GGSA.
He appealed to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) who had been to the scene to support them.
The government should also construct roads in the area to enable them to carry their produce to urban and marketing centres.
They said the recent torrential rains in their areas had worsened the terrible nature of roads, leaving many foodstuffs and cocoa beans in the villages.
