The opposition National Democratic Congress Parliamentary Candidate for Essikado-Ketan Constituency in the Western Region, Professor Grace Ayensu Danquah has lamented over the lack of proper disaster management measures by government amid the flood occasioned by Akosombo dam spillage by the Volta River Authority.
Speaking in a media interview on Thursday, October 26 2023, the seasoned Disaster Management Practitioner and Humanitarian Assistant expressed her disappointment about the lack of commitment on the part of government and stakeholders to develop a strategic disaster management plan to alleviate and mitigate the devastating havoc caused by the dams’ spillage.
She accused the government of deliberatively ignoring the plight of the victims of the Akosombo dam spillage-induced flood.
“It has been several weeks now and we haven’t seen any proper disaster management plan; the Inter-Ministerial Committee has not put out any disaster management plan and the President went there and didn’t say much and was just worried about his vote and the Vice President just went in and drop a parachute and gave them some money and left. The Sanitation Minster blames the victims while none of the flagbearer aspirants of the New Patriotic Party has shown compassion to the victims; it does appear they are immune to whatever that is happening”.
Professor Grace Ayensu Danquah
Professor Grace Ayensu Danquah further chastised the government for failing to take precautionary measures and steps to evacuate the resident within the lower Volta basin of the Volta Region before the spillage of the dams’
According to her, it was the primary responsibility of the government and the Volta River Authority to evacuate the residents in the communities affected by the flood before the spillage exercise
Professor Ayensu Danquah Calls For Urgent Action From Government
Furthermore, the National Democratic Congress Parliamentary Candidate for Essikado-Ketan Constituency in the Western Region called on the government to develop a very strategic action plan that would mitigate the damages the flood has caused residents and communities in the Volta Region.
According to her, despite the contributions and various supports from private individuals and corporate bodies, it is the government’s responsibility to provide better assistance to the affected victims
She also called on the government to listen to calls from well-meaning Ghanaians including Civil Society Groups, Religious Leaders, and the National Democratic Congress among others to declare a state of emergency in the affected areas
Professor Ayensu Danquah indicated that a declaration of emergency by the government would attract additional support from multinational partners as it is clear that the government alone cannot provide the needed help to the victims of the flood.
“Despite all the people donating and private individuals giving, there is still not the massive mobilization that we should have done and that mobilization should be done by the government. Those of us in the disaster management industry have been asking for a state of emergency to be declared in the affected communities. A state of emergency is a governance and legal vehicle that triggers a lot of donor support to augment what we are already doing on the grounds
“If you don’t think what is happening requires a state of emergency to be declared, how would somebody come and help you? It is not only logistics that we will benefit from the multinational partners when we declare a state of emergency but also the expertise that we need to manage the situation; and the doctors that you need to manage all the diseases arising from the flood situations”.
Professor Grace Ayensu Danquah
Meanwhile, Nana Yaa Jantuah, the General Secretary of the Conventions Peoples Party also bemoaned the lack of commitment on the part of the government to mitigate the problems occasioned by the Akosombo dam spillage.
Many people who lived in the Lower Volta Basin lost their fields and houses to flooding brought on by the Akosombo and Kpong dams’ spillage weeks after it began.
The floods have affected nine districts, with the residents now facing a humanitarian crisis.
According to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) over 26,000 people have been displaced and rendered homeless.
READ ALSO: NDC Refutes Claim Of VRA Invitation To A Simulation Exercise Ahead Of Akosmbo Dam Spillage
