Professor Chris Gordon has cautioned on the cascading health and environmental impact the flood from the Akosombo Dam spillage may occasion.
According to the renowned environmental scientist, the waste being washed by the floods will greatly impact the health of the residents.
He also cautioned residents who may intend to pluck coconuts of snake bites.
“Now on the issues of environment and health implications, people have talked about the population on the beaches because all the rubbish, all the solid waste that was in the areas [that are] being flooded, is now being carried to the sea… and as a result of that we are going to have implications on our fish. So what I am saying is that there is going to be a cascading set of problems as a result of the flooding and the spillage.
“On the environmental side, we are losing our biodiversity and species that cannot escape, [they] will get flooded and will die. Please, if you are thinking of using a canoe to go and collect coconuts because the coconuts are at the level, remember that it’s a safe haven for snakes too. Many snakes will move to any high ground that they have. And when you have snakes and people together, you are going to have snake bites. “
Prof. Chris Gordon
Professor Gordon further explained how the areas, as farming communities, complicates the health risks associated with the floods.
“The problem of health is very complicated because some of these agricultural lands usually have a certain amount of agrochemicals; pesticides, fertilizers, all of those things have been now mobilized and moving in the water.
“As for the human feaces, that we scatter through open defecation, KVIPs that are not properly maintained, and manholes that are not covered, these are all adding to the cocktail of allusion that is floating around. As people have said, people are having to use that water for domestic purpose.”
Prof. Chris Gordon
Moreover, the professor entreated the state to reconsider important national installations such as the dam for re-engineering to fit the threats from climate change.
“The vital infrastructure of this country needs to be climate-proofed which means that the plans we had, plans we made 20, 25 years ago are no longer appropriate. They need to be re-drawn and recalculated based on the current data.”
Professor Chris Gordon
Expounding on the weight of the issues at hand, he highlighted how huge the dam and the lake were.
He indicated that the Volta Lake is bigger than at least 30 countries in this world. According to the professor, its length is about 400km and its width is 25km. He said that the volume of water in that lake is sufficient to give 2 sachets of water to everybody on this planet for 40 years.
Hence, he reiterated that the integrity of the dam could not be toyed with or else a greater destruction may befall all communities downstream.
“It is a huge amount of water that that dam is holding back. As a result, everything that could compromise, a crack in that dam, can have severe ramifications downstream. It is therefore imperative that the Volta, the Akosombo dam be maintained and preserved by the step that the VRA is taking.”
Prof. Chris Gordon
Bagre Dam Spillage
In addition, he gave assurances that the Bagre Dam would not create similar destruction at all.
“We have a residence time that has been built around for four years. When water enters the top of the dam, that water which enters the top comes out in about four years. So yes, there may be an additional surge of water later on in the year but at this point, the Bagre dam will not be contributing to the spillage.”
Prof. Chris Gordon
However, reports indicate that the Bagre Dam has been opened and some parts of Oti have begun to flood.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Executive, Mr. Edward Ekow Obeng-Kenzo, has indicated after taking a boat ride to some of the communities that have been affected, mainly Mepe, he found out that the watermarks have gone down a bit. According to him, that signaled that the tide had subsided so the water was flowing into the sea.
He maintained that there has been no change in volume in the spillage from the dam.
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