The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah has stated that the havoc caused by the Akosombo and Kpong dams’ spillage was mainly a result of sheer negligence by the Volta River Authority.
Speaking in a radio interview on Thursday night, October 19, 2023, the National Chairman stated that the spillage could have been managed well rather than what has been done now.
“When there is spillage from Bagri Dam it takes about 90 days to reach Akosombo so you will know that there is spillage. If there is heavy rainfall in Burkina Faso you should know that this heavy rainfall will bring this volume of water. There are gauges everywhere at Akosombo and Kpong so every day you measure the Lake and how it is rising and you can project that at this level of water coming in we should start spilling at this time”.
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
According to him, if the appropriate measures were put in place by the Volta River Authority, the flood and the devastating damages caused by the flood would have been prevented
He noted that if the Volta River Authority had started the spillage at the right time the current situation would have been averted.
Asiedu Nketiah Calls For Committee Of Enquiry Into Akosombo And Kpong Dams’ Spillage
The National Chairman of the Opposition National Democratic Congress thus called on the government to set up a committee of enquiry to investigate the flood occasioned by the Akosombo and Kpong dam spillage which has affected several communities in the lower basin of the Volta River.
According to Mr Nketiah popularly referred to as ‘General Mosquito’ the flood resulting from the spillage of the dams’ cannot be considered as a natural disaster.
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“It is not the first time we have spilled the Akosombo dam; I do not know but maybe it was out of negligence on the part of management. The way countries have dealt with flood control and other things is to build these dams so that you can take maximum benefit from the water, While the dams have been built and we have three dams on the same river so it is the management of the water or mismanagement of the water that may have created such a crisis”.
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress believes the Volta River Authority, the management of the dam may have failed its mandate resulting in havoc the spillage has created for the surrounding communities.
“If you manage well and you know the level of water coming in, you may wish to run Kpong at its fullness so that Kpong will be generating at its full capacity while you try to build up water in the Akosombo dam so in case Kpong is reduced in terms of its level and you decide to open Akosombo then all the flood water will have the space to now come to Kpong”.
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
Numerous communities surrounding the Volta River have been flooded following the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams’ spillage by the Volta River Authority, forcing many of the residents to relocate.
Many communities in the North, South, and Central Tongu districts of the Volta Region have been forced to flee owing to the flooding caused by the spillage.
Reports indicate that the flood has displaced nearly 26,000 residents from their homes in various sections of the Eastern and Volta regions and destroyed several properties as well.
