Naval Captain Ben Baba Abdul, the interim Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) of the Ghana Navy's Riverine Command, has urged boat owners in Ada to educate passengers on the need to wear life jackets when using the local waterways.
He asserted that reducing accidents on waterways would require education and enforcement of the wearing of life jackets before entering vessels.
When Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah, the Member of Parliament for Ada, visited Azizanya to examine the circumstances surrounding last Saturday's disaster on the Volta Lake and to offer his condolences to the families of the dead, Navy Captain Abdul made the call.
The canoe they were sailing in collapsed near Azizakpe in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region, killing five people, three of whom were children.
The disaster happened while the afflicted individuals were on their way to an over-bank settlement called Azizakpe for burial in Azizanya.
Life jackets weren't available to any of the passengers.
Life jackets are essential.
According to Navy Captain Abdul, the use of life jackets must be a mandatory component of maritime transport operations on the Volta Lake and other bodies of water in the nation.
Education is essential to solving these issues. Thus, we will organize instructional events in conjunction with the Ghana Maritime Authority and other stakeholders.
"We want to apply the same model here since it is well-structured back on the Volta Lake," he added.
He said that to expedite solutions to some of the problems and guarantee the safety of those who travel on the lake, the Navy will collaborate with the different stakeholders.
Background
On March 18, 2023, at nine in the morning, there was an accident that was apparently brought on by overloading and severe winds.
Gifty Mamle Agbasi, a survivor, reported that none of the canoe's occupants were wearing life jackets.
She stated that there were no life jackets present and that the canoe was empty other than two crates of alcohol.
We had more people than the boat was designed to hold, but the operator assured us that nothing would happen.
She continued, saying that the canoe capsized a short while after it had started, but she was lucky to have been saved by some rescuers who raced in with canoes.
No-cost life No-cost
The assembly was urged by Madam Cudjoe-Ghansah to buy and give out life jackets to boaters on the Volta Lake in Ada.
She explained that this was done to aid the operators in ensuring the security of the passengers.
After giving out the life jackets, the MP suggested that the assembly establish a bylaw mandating that all boaters wear life jackets on every voyage on the river.
She claimed that because most of the population had grown up near rivers and was capable of swimming, they considered investing in life jackets to be a costly waste of money.
She emphasized, however, that operators must always require that passengers wear life jackets.
job force
A task force on rivers and waterways used as means of transportation should be established to monitor and enforce the wearing of life jackets to prevent such disasters, according to Catherine Dela Dzivenu, a former NDC candidate for Ada's parliamentary seat. She also visited the community to offer condolences to the victims.
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