Akosombo dam spillage: Mere press releases won’t cut it – Affected residents cry out to authorities
Residents affected by the flooding as a result of the Akosombo Dam spillage are up in arms over the huge losses that they have suffered.
Many of them are still counting their losses, with others swimming their way towards salvaging what they can as the spillage continues.
The Volta River Authority (VRA) says it alerted the residents along the lower Volta Basin ahead of the move.
But desperate scenes of unprepared evacuations and destruction indicated that was not enough.
Speaking on Joy FM, a resident of Mepe, Felix Ayiku lamented the mode of communication with the residents has been nothing to write home about.
“You will see a press release on social media which is not very good for the local people, because, a lot of people don’t even have smartphones, the old people don’t understand how these things work,” he said via Joy SMS on Thursday, October 12.
“Social media is not the best way. There are letters flying around but [only] we the young people see them. We saw it, we tried to [understand] what they really mean.”
According to him, about 2,000 households in his community have been inundated by floodwater.
He is saddened adding “We need adequate education so people can be fully prepared for this kind of events.”
“It’s really sad… I saw old people, aged people struggling to get water to drink.”
The overflow of water from the Akosom Dam has led to the displacement of hundreds of individuals in the Mepe and Battor areas of the North Tongu District in the Volta Region.
The situation has forced the shutdown of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) substation in Sogakope.
“GRIDCo has undertaken this shutdown at the Substation for safety reasons to mitigate the risk of electrocution, loss of life, and related dangers. Power will be restored as soon as the situation improves,” the October statement read.
Currently, more than 500 households are grappling with the inundation as residents desperately attempt to salvage their belongings.
The floods have already claimed properties valued at thousands of Ghana Cedis, including numerous buildings.
Meanwhile, the VRA, in another press release says it has collaborated with the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) to offer support to communities affected by the ongoing spilling of water from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams through the presentation of relief items.
Source: Ghana News
