Probe the death of whales — Nana Kobina Nketsiah
The Paramount Chief of Essikadu Traditional Area, Nana Kobinah Nketsiah V, has deplored the silence of institutions responsible for coastal and environmental issues on the frequent death of whales and other sea mammals which have been washed ashore since 2008.
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He said it was sad that without scientific investigations,conclusions had been drawn by state agencies and the incident linked to a global occurrence.
Speaking at the stakeholders’ forum on energy and petroleum revenue management in Takoradi, organised by Friends of the Nation (FoN), Nana Nketsiah said within two days, five dead whales were washed ashore along the country’s coast and nothing was said about it.
The whales, he said, were buried without proper examination and that was the end of the issue.
He said as Africans,there was some significance and importance of the deaths to the country’s culture and traditions but the institutions in charge had kept silent.
“Sixteen of the whales have gone since oil operation started in 2008, and interestingly, there is no proper explanation, either scientific, mystical or spiritual to the people of Ghana,” he said.
The paramount chief said the development made him wonder if the country had even carried out an ecological audit for the region and the country’s coasts for all that was taking place .
It was interesting that when the whales were washed ashore, the EPA did not move in to take samples or carry out any examination of the animals.
However, last Thursday, the Public Affairs Department of the EPA attributed the incidence of whales being washed ashore to a global occurrence and not limited to Ghana.
It mentioned various locations in Asia, the Americas and New Zealand and that from February 2011 to September 2, 2013, over 120 different types of whales had been reported washed ashore at various locations around the globe.
However, in those countries, where the EPA was citing, there were serious examination of the mammal and they were properly disposed off
The chiefs of the Western Region are, therefore, not happy with the alacrity with which the EPA came out to defend without any scientific proof.