Government is not unresponsive to Akosombo dam spillage victims – Mpraeso MP tells Ablakwa
The Member of Parliament for Mpraeso has called on some Members of Parliament in the flood-affected communities not to create the impression that government has been unresponsive to the situation.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday, November 8, Davis Ansah Opoku indicated that government through its various agencies is up and doing and trying to find solutions to the problems caused due to the spillage of the Akosombo Dam.
“The impression should not be created that government is unresponsive to this matter. Once that is done, then, we seem not to appreciate the things that government is doing,” he said.
According to him, although people are displaced and they ought to be resettled, it cannot be done straight away. This, he says is because a lot of planning has to go into such activities, adding that “everything must be budgeted for.”
The North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has criticized the government for allocating an amount of GH₵2.86 million into the Volta River Resettlement Fund to deal with the crisis.
According to him, the money won’t be sufficient looking at the extent of damage caused as a result of the spilling of excess water from the Akosombo Dam. He added that the disaster that has struck the flood-affected communities is so dire that a ‘paltry’ GHS₵2.86 million cannot solve it.
He noted that the funds have not been disbursed, although the money was released into the Fund after the flood incident.
But the Mpraeso MP in defense said the VRA releases an amount annually, and it was done just last year.
“Granted that it was not being done and now they are doing it just because there is an issue of flooding in some parts of this country, shows you how responsive the VRA is to the very needs of our people,” he added.
He said aside from the VRA voting GH₵2.86million into the Volta River Resettlement Fund, they have also set aside a GH₵20 million Fund to manage the disaster.
He noted that Mr Ablakwa even appreciates the fact that the VRA, NADMO and the Finance Minister have donated some relief items to the flood-affected communities.
Asked about the resettlement plan for the displaced persons, Mr Opoku said there is an existing resettlement plan pointing to the Fund that manages issues about resettlement – the Volta River Resettlement Fund.
He entreated Members of Parliament in the flood-affected communities to call on the government to make room for the payment of compensations.
Source: Ghana News
