Travelers who ply the Dambai ferry in the Krachi Nchumuru of the Oti Region have expressed satisfaction to the removal of stumps which posed as a threat on the lives of the commuters. Most residents use the ferry or other canoes which periodically has recorded accidents and some cases of loss of lives.
The ferry transports vehicles, goods and people across the River Volta from Dambai to other areas of the Krachi District and the Northern region which serves as a food basket to the country.
The ferry recently broke down while transporting passengers and their goods on the River Oti to Accra, leaving passengers stranded.
It can be recalled that the travelling public no longer considered the feri at Dambai, in the Krachi-East District, as a safe means of transportation, following an accident in which a Bedford vehicle fully loaded with yam and other food products, together with three persons, fell into the Oti River from the ferry, due to its weak state.
The vehicle, together with the three persons and the goods, was however rescued from the river by lifeguards trained and stationed at the beach at Dambai, by the Volta Lake Transport Enhancement Project, supported by Zoil Ghana.
Thankfully, the Minister for Transport cut the sod for the commencement of work on the removal of tree stumps along transport routes on the Oti River at Dambai a couple of years ago.
The project was to aid safer navigation following obstructions by thousands of tree stumps on the waterway, with intermittent reported cases of boat disasters.
The Government of Ghana through the Ghana Maritime Authority awarded a GHC 3.5 million to Dadeso Holdings Limited to harvest the stumps in a space of about 1.5 nautical miles, which began in January 2018 and asked the Authority to ensure that safety regulations were adhered to.
In a related development, some tree stumps which were purported to have been the cause of many accidents on the river have been removed.
