By Ewoenam Kpodo
Penyi (VR), Oct 15, GNA – Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged the Volta River Authority (VRA) to support the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to reduce the suffering of people in Volta Region’s flooded communities.
He said the flooding situation being experienced in five constituencies in the region was occasioned by the VRA’s ongoing spillage of the Akosombo Dam and it was prudent for the Authority to help NADMO, the government agency mandated to manage disasters in the country to discharge its duties effectively.
Mr Mahama who made the call while addressing a durbar of chiefs and people of Penyi as the Special Guest at this year’s Penyi Nugoryiza, their development festival, sympathised with both victims of tidal waves and flooding and appealed for VRA’s intervention as NADMO was in no position to carry out its duty to offer relief to the people.
“…And now, it is the spillage from the Akosombo Dam that is flooding several communities in the Tongu area. And so, there again, I wish to sympathise with them and call on the VRA to help NADMO. Because of the mismanagement of the economy, NADMO has nothing – zero. There is nothing to help give the people relief.
“I want to appeal to VRA to extend some support to NADMO so they can bring relief to the people of the areas that have been flooded.”
The VRA had weeks ago initiated controlled spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams intensifying it in recent days for the purpose of addressing the constantly rising water levels which posed a significant threat to the dams.
The spillage had led many communities along the Volta River in the three Tongu Districts and those along the Keta Lagoon in the Keta and Anloga Districts to be flooded rendering people homeless.
Apart from health and other devastating implications the flooding situation was visiting upon affected people, it also compelled the Electricity Company of Ghana to intermittently shut down its Bulk Supply Station at Sogakope to safeguard the Station, which had been inundated by flooding, leading to unstable supply of electricity in the affected areas.
GNA