Member of parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed that food security in the country is under threat following the devastation caused by the Akosombo dam spillage.
According to him, Aveyime, which is noted for rice farming and other critical communities in the Volta region affected by the impact of flooding risk putting farming on hold. He revealed that there’s a “huge catastrophe” that the affected communities are grappling with “and if you know the extent of the damage, the entire villages are gone”.
“All the farms are gone. Rice farming has totally come to a halt because the irrigation pumps for rice farming were all submerged and damaged… Look, it’s going to have an effect on food security because that enclave is breadbasket – food inflation which is already at an all-time high is going to get worse because of this situation.
“You’re seeing a lot of farmers who could not even salvage their farmers or do early harvest because of the lack of notice. So, we are going to have serious challenges with food security.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Mr Ablakwa stated that investments made prior to the flooding, especially with the purchase of combine harvesters for the rice farmers to aid their work have been destroyed.
He lamented that he’s been supporting these communities, creating cooperatives and carrying out a lot of trainings, but it’s “all gone and washed away by these flood waters”.
“I mean Mepe will never be the same. It’s going to take us decades to reconstruct Mepe. The houses and churches – I recall recently when the Methodist Church visited, they had to assess some of their churches that were totally gone, same for the Assemblies of God Church. So, there’s every sector of our country that has been affected.
“I don’t know how long it’s going to take us – it’s going to be very long to rebuild, it’s going to take a concerted effort to have all of these communities reconstructed… The damage is really dire… So, we need to really come to terms with what we are grappling with. I don’t think a lot of people have looked at the enormity of the situation. “
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Impact of spillage in affected communities
Touching on public health, Mr Ablakwa noted that it stands the risk of being adversely affected. Already, he explained that doctors from the Ghana Medical Association have confirmed cases of cholera, typhoid and all kinds of respiratory diseases which are on the rise.
He highlighted that if these diseases are not contained, they are bound to spread which might affect everyone in the country.
“So, there are public health dimensions about this matter. Then, in terms of potable water, remember that in that enclave, you have the Kpong Dam, a lot of the water that we depend on even in the capital, you can trace its source even from our enclave. I’m not surprised that Ghana Water Company had to cut water supply and do a general reassessment of the safety of the water that they process.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Furthermore, the North Tongu legislator revealed that the dimension of the disaster extends to the workforce in the communities. He stated that a lot of teachers have been dislodged and nurses displaced.
“They had to run out of the constituency, but we are now trying to introduce interventions to get them to come back…”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Meanwhile, Mr Ablakwa expressed concern over the negligence of the Volta River Autority (VRA) in the conduct of the spillage of water.
He indicated that it is important to bring to the fore VRA’s conduct in the whole matter.
“… It is only the VRA who knew the quantum of water that they were going to spill. So, we need to bring into very clear focus, the role of VRA and for that matter, government. I am not clear in my mind that such a major operation which has national security dimensions that the government will not be informed, and cabinet will not discuss this. If Cabinet didn’t discuss this, if the Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces was not informed and consulted on this matter, then wither the republic…”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
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