The Parliamentary Candidate for the National Democratic Congress in the Pru East Constituency, Emmanuel Kwaku Boam has appealed to the government and well-meaning Ghanaians including philanthropists, corporate entities, and the international community to extend a helping hand to citizens who have been tragically impacted by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam in the constituency.
In a statement released on Monday, October 23 2023, Mr Boam indicated that the recent spillage of the Akosombo dam by the Volta River Authority (VRA) has led to devastating havoc, completely disrupting the lives of communities and households along the Upper Volta Basin.
According to him, the most severely affected areas include Fante Akura, Vutideke, Jaklai, Attakuma, Tonka, Brekente, and other communities.
Mr. Boam further indicated that over two thousand (2,000) individuals, including children, nursing mothers and the elderly, have been rendered homeless and helpless in the Pru East Constituency.
“The spillage has led to unprecedented scenes of destruction in the Pru East Region. Homes have been submerged, livestock and properties washed away, and economic activities severely disrupted by the ensuing floods. The sanitary conditions of these affected individuals are deteriorating rapidly, as toilets, waste bins, and refuse dumps are inundated. Access to clean drinking water has become impossible, creating a potential outbreak of diseases such as cholera”
Emmanuel Kwaku Boam
The Inadequacies of NADMO In The Pru East Constituency Amidst Crisis
Again, the National Democratic Congress parliamentary candidate for the Pru East Constituency ahead of the 2024 general election bemoaned the inadequate resources of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) in the constituency to provide the needed assistance to the victims of the Akosombo dam spillage in the constituency.
He noted that the situation has imposed severe hardships on the victims of the Akosombo dam spillage in the Pru East Constituency as the majority of them have lost their livelihood due to the flood occasioned by the spillage.
Mr Boam thus called on the government to provide the necessary support to the National Disaster Management Organization in the Pru East Constituency to aid their effort to provide relief to the flood victims.
He also implored the compassion and humanity of all Ghanaians to go swiftly to the aid of the victims of the flood resulting from the Akosombo dam spillage who are experiencing the excruciating consequences of the spillage due to the Volta River Authority efforts to preserve a vital national asset like the Akosombo Hydroelectricity generation installation.
“The NDC in the Pru East Constituency urgently calls upon individual Ghanaians, philanthropists, captains of industries, NGOs, the business community, and the media (such as Joy News/FM, Citi TV/FM, UTV, Metro TV, TV3, GBC/GTV, Peace FM, TV XYZ, GhOne, and others) to utilize their platforms in mobilizing resources to alleviate the suffering of these unfortunate individuals. Immediate relief items required include toiletries, drinking water, soft drinks, food items, mattresses, blankets, second-hand clothes, waste bins, plastic cups, bowls, buckets, mosquito nets, mosquito coils, sanitary pads, and more”.
Emmanuel Kwaku Boam
Meanwhile, farmers along the upstream areas of the Volta Lake in the Pru East District of the Bono East Region have bemoaned the effects of the spillage from the Akosombo Dam, with hundreds of hectares of farmlands and communities submerged.
According to the group, rice, maize, millet and Cassava farms have been completely wiped out and affected farmers and residents are devastated by the event.
The combination of the excessive rains and the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams has resulted in the displacement of about two thousand individuals who were living along the banks of Volta Lake and Island villages in the Pru East District of the Bono East Region.
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