Are the earth tremors sign of pending earthquake in Ghana?

Parts of the Ghanaian capital Accra recorded minor earth tremors on Monday with no casualties reported, officials confirmed.

The Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GSSA) confirmed the incident, saying there were three tremors in the morning, reaching around 4.0 magnitude on the Richter scale.

The GSSA said the epicenter was around the Gbawe area in the southwestern part of Accra.

Many people took to social media to share their encounters with the tremors. No casualties have been reported yet.

The GSSA said it had deployed personnel to the earthquake monitoring station to collect data on the latest tremor for further analysis.

The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) says it is working closely with the GSSA to obtain the exact details of Monday’s earth tremors.

It said the details will also include the magnitude and epicenters, on which the public will be duly informed.

The statement advised homeowners in the affected areas to inspect their buildings for possible cracks and seek technical advice from engineers and other building experts.

It also advised the public to be mindful of the kind of information they absorbed on social media.

Indeed, since 1915 and 1939 when Ghana experienced its severest earthquake with a magnitude over 6.0 on the Richter scale, there have been reported yearly occurrences of fleeting earth tremours, and the GGSA has, over the years, warned of an imminent earthquake in the country following the tremours that have been occurring in recent times.

The Finder is aware that Ghana is said to have a major earthquake fault line, stretching from the McCarthy Hill area in Accra westwards towards the Central Region and eastwards towards the Akuapem Ridge and all the way to the Volta Region.

The epicentre of fault line is thought to be located around the McCarthy-Weija Dam catchment area.

But over the years, we have done little or nothing as a nation to protect lives and property in the area.

In fact, we have virtually folded our arms while individuals, on one hand, continue to put up structures at the earthquake-prone areas while encroachers, on another hand, continue to win sand and use explosives like dynamites to blast the rocks, weakening the base of the mountain to further worsen the plight of the people.

We also recall that in 2016, Parliament passed a legislation to empower the demolition of a number of houses and structures on the Accra-Cape Coast main road that are close to earthquake fault lines, with the view to reducing the impact of disasters related to earthquakes, volcanic and other seismic activities throughout the country, but some six years on, that piece of legislature simply remains a mere paper tiger.

Until we take the bull by the horns, we will eventually be caught pants down when we are eventually confronted with disasters.