Stakeholder worried about total removal of tree stumps from Volta Lake
A stakeholder of the Volta Lake who resides in Dzemeni in the South Dayi District has argued that the total removal of tree stumps was not necessary because it could cause the extinction of some species of fish from the lake.
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According to Mr Robert Fiado, tree stumps served as a home and conducive environment for breeding of some fish stocks.
He also argued that algae also formed on the tree stumps to serve as plankton for fish feeding and that during high tides, fishermen tied their boats to some of the dead trees and climbed onto them for safety.
Mr Fiado told the Daily Graphic in an interview that research had revealed that dead animals and plants buried and decayed over the years produced fuel that was emitted, washed downstream and deposited between the Ada and Keta basins.
He said the total removal of the stumps would pave the way for illegal fishing methods that would destroy the few fish stock in its entirety in the lake.
Recounting the formation of the Volta Lake, Mr Fiado said the first President of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, constructed the Akosombo Dam to generate hydro-electricity to feed industries and for domestic use.
He said by taking that giant step, the Volta River expanded its volume, thus creating the largest man-made lake in the world.
Creation of Volta Lake
He said apart from generating hydro power, the lake and river offered an opportunity for inland fishing and river transportation, resulting in the emergence of markets along the Volta Lake at Kpando Torkor, Tongor Dzemeni, Tapa Abotoase, Akateng and many others along the lake.
The flooded river devastated lands upstream and downstream along the course of the Volta River and crops, trees and communities were submerged.
“Some of the tree stumps in the lake became a setback in lake transportation,” he said, and added that many lives were lost through boat accidents due to the stumps in the lake.
Mr Fiado said he was part of a consultative meeting to solicit views on the removal of all tree stumps in the Volta Lake and made it clear that the lake would be doomed if all the stumps were removed.
He suggested that the paths on which boats travelled must be cleared of tree stumps to reduce boat accidents and that weak wooden boats must not be allowed to ply on the lake because they could not withstand waves on the lake.