Keta Lagoon, also called Anlo-Keta lagoon, is the largest of the over 90 lagoons that cover the 550 kmEnvironmental Protection Agency (2004), State of Environment Report, Accra Ghana stretch of the coastline of Ghana. This lagoon is 126.13 km in length. It is located in the eastern coast of Ghana and separated from the Gulf of Guinea by a narrow strip of sandbar. This open salty water is surrounded by flood plains and mangrove swamps. Together they form the Keta Lagoon Ramsar site which covers 1200 km2
There are seasonal inflow of sea water during high tide from the Gulf of Guinea and regular inflow of rivers. The rivers which drain into the lagoon include the Aka, the Tordzi RiverSeeddirect (2013) Between nature and people: restoring to sustain Apes-Borassus habitats in Tordzi-Avu catchments, Accra Ghana and Belikpa stream which enter the lagoon from the north. The lagoon is surrounded by many settlements. The towns include Anloga, Woe, Keta and Kedzi to the south, Aborlove Nolopi, Anyako and Anlo Afiadenyigba to the north, Kodzi, Alakple and Tregui to the west and Denu and Adina to the east.
Over the years population growth, extensive human activities and climate change all contributed to reduce the volume of water in the lagoon which appears to be drying up. The lagoon became part of the daily existence of the people of Anlo land. In 1992 the Keta Lagoon was placed on the list of Wetlands of International Importance by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and in 1999 work began on measures to limit further erosion and to control flooding of the coastal region.
Prominence
This Lagoon got its name and prominence from the settlement of Anlo- Ewes but more especially from the town KetaAkyeampong (2001), Between the Sea and the Lagoon : An Eco social History of the Anlo of Southeastern Ghana. Ohio University Press Athens Ohio. and the uses to which this water resource is put. The inhabitants of the area surrounding the lagoon are the descendants of the Anlo Ewe Gbotadua Kumassah (2005) The Migration Saga of the Anlo-Ewes of Ghana groups who settled in Anlo land. Their ancestors migrated from Notsie in central Togo in the mid –seventeenth century. They settled at Anloga and then established several small settlements around the shores of the Keta Lagoon. Some of these towns are shown below with their 2010 populations.
Name of Town 2010 Population figure Keta 8,101 Anloga 29,748 Anyako 6,780 Anlo Afiadenyigba 9,680 Tegbi 10,056 Kedzi 129 Kodzi 185 Asadame 1,410 Woe 558 Tregui 786 Wuti 2,340 Atiteti 978 Dzato 879 Yenui 667 Alakple 529 Srogboe 640 Dzita 3531 Blekusu 897 Adina 758 Anyanui 1,783 Havedzi 897 Vodza 769 Dzelukope 10,409Total 92,510
Geography
The topography of the area is a flat land with extensive lagoons in Togo and Benin along the coast. This suggests that the lagoon might have been formed when the sea receded back over the millennia. Hence there is a sandy coastline or sandy deposition along the littoral. Another theory is that there could be coastal rivers which have dried up leaving behind large ponds. This is evidenced by the remains of oyster shells mofa.gov.gh. Districts – Volta Region that are deposited at various spots in towns to the northern side of the lagoon. A third theory is that during the ice age these spots were the remains of the ice which melted due to rise in temperature leaving behind a fresh lagoon. The infiltration of sea water made it saline.Christopher G. Smith (2006) Mixing In The Subterranean Estuary: A Comparison Of Radon-222 Pore Water Models, Louisiana State University Baton Rouge USA
Climate The Köppen Climate Classification is "Aw". (Tropical Savanna Climate).Climate Summary for Ada Foah (closest city on record with accurate data for the Keta Municipal District)
Islands
Seva is an island located in the Keta Lagoon. By 2010, it has a population of 300 people with a terrain elevation of 43 metres above sea level. It has social amenities such as the School run by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Portable water is available. It is linked to the mainland by a road to Konu. Other islands include Dudu with no human habitation and Netivi Kpota where there are coconut trees.
Problem of flooding There is constant flooding of the area after heavy rains and also from the inflow of Kplikpa and Aka rivers into the lagoon. The colonial government began to record the high water levels at Keta from 1907 onwards,Akyeampong (2001), Between the Sea and the Lagoon : An Eco social History of the Anlo of Southeastern Ghana. Ohio University Press Athens Ohio. pg 7 but for a long time they did not do much because they claimed that the merchants and inhabitants should also invest in saving their own town and businesses. The foreign merchants and people of Keta believed that the colonial government should be responsible in saving the land. This issue has defined the political history of the Anlo - Ewe politicians. In periods of flooding, entire settlements would move out of their homes. To stop the flooding and the coastal erosion attempts were made during the colonial period without success. In 1963, Aryee, an officer in charge of the Public Works Department at the Keta District took the initiative and cut a canal from the lagoon to the sea. This was known as Aryee Canal. He and the ground on which he was standing was swept away by a huge flood and it turned out that his plan had done more harm than good. The problem of flooding has now abated because of increased climate change and reduction in rainfall. The Keta Sea Defence project has created a canal between the lagoon and the sea so that over flooded water can go through the canal into the sea. A road was constructed through the lagoon from Kedzi to Metsrikasa for the transportation of the boulder rocks used for the construction work. Since there is no bridge for the water to flow through, the road created shallow waters to the eastern part of the lagoon.
Economic role
The lagoon and its Ramsar site contribute significantly to the economic well-being of the people. They provide the livelihood through fishing and boat transportation from Keta to Anyako and Afiadenyigba. Salt winning is common in years when there is low rainfall. Coconut trees abound close to the coastal areas from which coconut oil is extracted. An opportunity also exists for turning aquatic reeds harvested by women into bags, mats and other handicrafts that will provide alternative livelihoods to generate income especially for women.
Spiritual significance The practitioners of the traditional Anlo belief system have a strong spiritual attachment to the lagoon. It is believed that the lagoon has gods who must be worshiped if the people wish to get abundant catch. One of the gods is called ‘Gbele’ where the people of Anlo Afiadenyigba once every year perform some rituals for the lagoon. At times a live cow is deposited in the lagoon so that there could be a bumper harvest. The Bate Clan assert their relationship with Mama Bate, a sea Orisha, and claim responsibility for the expansion of the land around Keta as arising from this relationship with her.
On many occasions children get drowned while swimming and people got missing during fishing expeditions and most of these accidents are attributed to spiritual forces.
In 1983, the leader of the Apostolic Revelation Society the late Apostle C.N.K Wovenu was invited to pray for increase in the waters of the lagoon since the lagoon was almost dried up because of the dry weather that year. After the prayers, fishermen were instructed not to fish on Sundays in the lagoon.
Gradually there is a reduction in the importance of spiritual significance of the lagoon. The diminished importance in the spiritual significance of the lagoon and other water bodies in Anlo which Green (2002) described could be explained by the decline in fish stocks caught from the lagoon.Sandra E. Greene (2002) Notsie Narratives: History, Memory and Meaning in West Africa. From: The South Atlantic Quarterly Volume 101, Number 4, Fall 2002 pp. 1015-1041
Although some fishermen attribute declining catches to social-spiritual causes such as conflict in the community or as punishment from the gods, more fishermen are aware of the increased fishing effort as a cause for declining catches. Some of these fishermen are migrating to other parts of the country and outside Ghana to continue with fishing.
Biodiversity conservation The lagoon is important in conserving several species of mangroves, crabs, shrimps and raffia plants.
Types of fish This lagoon holds a variety of fishes from the marine environment and from rivers. It is a spawning zone for fingerlings and habitat is conducive for native fishes. With seasonal inflow of sea water, marine fishes migrate to breed in the calmer waters of the lagoon, especially the safe haven provided by the mangrove swamp section.
Freshwater fisheries The endemic fishes in the lagoons are mostly cichlids. Sarotherodon melanotheron is the dominant fish with Tilapia guineensis, l'zillii and Hemichromis fasciatus also found in the catches. Some of the freshwater species encountered were Oreochromis niloticus, Tilapia zillii, Hemichromis fasciatus and H. bimaculatus.Eddie K Abban et al (edit, 2000) Biodiversity and the sustainable use of Fish in the Coastal Zone. University of Hamburg
Marine fisheries The common marine species found in the lagoon were the mojarra (Gerres melanopterus), half beak (Hyporhamphus picarti) and the needle fish (Strongylura senegalensis). Juveniles of the flat sardine Sardinella mardrensis, mullets Mugil curema and Liza falcipinnis as well as Caranx hippos were also encountered. In Keta Lagoon, Pellonula leonensis was most abundant. After the Sea Defence Project is finished, the lagoon has regained economic significance. The lagoon was dredged and an open link was created with the ocean to enable shrimps to swim into the lagoon. This protected environment allows valuable shrimp to increase in size quickly.
Methods of fishing Drag nets are commonly used in the lagoon.Ntiamoa Baidu Y (1991), Conservation of coastal lagoons in Ghana: The traditional Approach land Urban plan Other fishing gears used are bottles also called 'atukpaxe' which are mostly used by women,Women in Fishing: A Study of the Significance of Women's Roles in the Fishing Industry at Anlo-Afiadenyigba hook and line, acadja and traps. Although acadjas act as fish aggregating devices that provide shelter for fish thereby enhancing fish breeding in the lagoon, the use of mangroves and twigs, which are cut from neighboring vegetation, makes this method of fishing environmentally unfriendly.James M. Kapetsky (1985) Some Considerations for the Management of Coastal Lagoon and estuarine fisheries, FAO Fisheries Technical Paper Issue 218 When the lagoon waters are low fish are caught using the hand.
Birdlife Keta lagoon is the most important wetland on the Ghana coast for waterbirds and together with Songor Lagoon constitutes the fourth most important waterbirds site on the Gulf of Guinea coast. The site supports 76 waterbird species with an estimated total population of well over 100,000, including globally significant numbers of 21 species. The site is particularly important for waders, supporting almost one third of the estimated East Atlantic Flyway population of spotted redshank. Other species which occur in large numbers at the site include curlew sandpiper, little stint, black-winged stilt, white-faced whistling-duck, as well as several heron and egret species. The most important parts of the lagoon for waterbirds are the Fiahor, Woe, Tegbi, Adina and Afiadenyigba sections.West African Journal of Applied Ecology Vol 11, 2007