The Manklalo of Mepe Traditional Area, Togbe Kwesi Nego VI, has called on the government and the Volta River Authority (VRA) to provide lasting engineering solutions to the issue of flooding caused by the spillage of water from the Akosombo dam.
He said the needed measures had to be put in place before the authorities commenced their controlled spilling of the reservoir, which is scheduled for this year as an emergency preparedness plan and standard operating procedures that the VRA has put in place to curtail the overflow of water from Akosombo and Kpong Dams.
The VRA stated that if it did not spill the water, it might cause a great disaster to the entire nation, which in turn might have dire repercussions on the electricity.
However, speaking in an interview with Max Morning Show in Accra on Wednesday, Togbe Nego stated that the VRA had not put better precautionary measures in place to help the people of Mepe and North Tongu, who might be severely affected by the spillage action.
He indicated the action had called for proper engineering solutions to help avert the level of disaster experienced last year, where over 30,000 people were displaced and compelled to live under inhuman circumstances.
“Over 16,000 residents in Mepe were heavily affected, so there’s a need for VRA to adopt better engineering measures to spill the reservoirs little by little without any life getting affected,” Togbe Nego added.
He also called for extensive stakeholder engagement to ensure all outstanding safety issues were addressed before the spillage.
“Many individuals who lost their homes and livelihoods have not gotten the needed support yet. Some are still living in tents and are suffering bilharzia due to the damage caused. Before they spill, we want to see their emergency preparedness plan,” Togbe Nego said.
He also lamented that the VRA failed to compensate victims of the controlled spillage in September 2023, leaving most of them with no option but to live in tents among unsuitable housing units.
Those who had their farms and businesses destroyed, Togbe Nego noted, were faced with extreme hardship and called on the government to find long-lasting solutions to the plight of affected individuals.
Source: Ghana/MaxTV/MaxFM/max.com.gh/Joyceline Natally Cudjoe
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