The Akosombo Dam is only one of many well-known examples of the country’s abysmal readiness in times of disaster.
Most people in Ghana can tell a story of how the police service or the fire service arrived too late at a disaster scene.
Dr. Sharif Mahmud Khalid
A former member of the Economic Team of theNational Democrat Congress (NDC), Dr Sharif Mahmud Khalid, has raised concerns about the country’s disaster management plan, catechizing how well the country can minimize the impact of disasters.
Citing the Akosombo Dam spillage that has led to flooding of communities in the Volta Region, he proposed that public sectors must coordinate ahead of such disaster to forestall danger.
He however admitted the non-existence of such in the country’s architecture.
“Let’s say it is going to be cheaper to spill it. They should have built a mix-shift camp somewhere to accommodate people so they don’t stop schools. So multiple stakeholders across the spectrum of our economy, education service, and health services, are in readiness for this.
“But that never happens!”
Dr. Sharif Mahmud Khalid
Further, Dr. Khalid acknowledged the capacity of the nation’s engineers to support such plans and efforts to alleviate such disasters.
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“And we have a pack of engineers, I respect them, and I know they are competent. They have been holding on and giving some power for some time now. And the embarrassing point is that we have an immediate post-independent dam that we are struggling to manage.
“That to me is embarrassing to us as a nation because we have to spill water.”
Dr. Sharif Mahmud Khalid
He also indicated the ripple effect this may have on other sectors and regions in the country.
Flood Victims In Tongu Districts
“Mind you from the health perspective, the Volta Region is just an hour’s drive away from Accra. The water is turning green. This is a mixture of excreta, mortuaries and what have you. If an endemic emerges in the Volta Region, Accra is not going to be safe.”
Dr. Sharif Mahmud Khalid
Further, Dr. Khalid stated that the country has still not attached any seriousness to the situation.
“But we are handling the whole issue as though it is child’s play. No, it is not. It is getting serious by the day and we are not facing it with the seriousness that we ought to.
“And for me, I think it is about time we took our time to assess the situation because the firefighting in this country each time we have an emergency issue, regardless of the political party, it is becoming embarrassing.”
Dr. Sharif Mahmud Khalid
Contingency Fund For NADMO
He opined that the government ought to also build an emergency fund and refrain from using donor cash for such purposes.
“40 million dollars set out by the government for agricultural industries in the areas? I think it is a laudable idea but, to me, it sounds very political. The flood issues are still going, evacuations are still going on, and no cleansing has been done.
Floods In Tongu after Akosombo Spillage
“As to whether those involved in fish farming will be in the capacity to carry on fish farming for the next three to five years, we are unable to say until a real assessment is taken. On some of the arable lands, given how water has stagnated there for a while, some assessments need to be done. So if a government just pours its purse from the World Bank Fund that was allocated for something else, and says well, we are going to push this, then it generates some conspiracy theory.”
Dr. Sharif Mahmud Khalid
He was concerned such investments may not reap returns to offset the debts.
“So such concessions are meant to have returns on investment so if they are used for such a venture, if it is on agriculture, what will be the return on investment, as far as this is concerned?
“Another fundamental question; NADMO has existed for a while now, is there an emergency fund that it could rely on? If we are going back cash for this then I think again it is another failure on our part regardless of political parties.”
Dr. Sharif Mahmud Khalid
Also, Dr. Khalid chastised the government for releasing information in a piecemeal manner. He urged the government to give the entire information and plan as a whole.
Moreover, according to him, such abysmal lack of readiness was manifested in the dinner shoe the President wore and the smock the Vice President wore in their respective visits to the victims of the Akosombo-Kpong dam spillage.
