Accra, Oct. 23, GNA – The Volta River Authority says it has stepped up its humanitarian efforts to support and alleviate the pain and discomfort of the flood victims, following the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams.
Briefing the press on Monday, Deputy Chief Executive in Charge of Services of the VRA, Mr Kenneth Arthur, reiterated the VRA’s unwavering commitment to working with NADMO and all relevant agencies, to bring relief and assistance for restoration to normalcy.
He said VRA deployed an all-hands-on-deck approach and in collaboration with NADMO, the various District Assemblies and other related security and emergency services, working round the clock to ensure the protection of lives and livelihood in those affected areas, through the evacuation of victims to designated safe-havens.
Current figures collated by NADMO stand at about 36,000 people, who have been affected so far.
Mr Arthur said VRA had deployed its Emergency Preparedness Unit, the Community Relations Unit, the Environment and Sustainable Development Team, the VRA Hospitals Team, the VRA Security section and others, to the affected communities.
“We are literally living among them in their respective communities, to experience their issues firsthand and provide real-time support,” he said.
Acknowledging the many challenges facing the affected communities, VRA and the entire relief team is engaged in a regular supply of food items such as rice, maize, beans, gari, sugar, mackerel, cooking oil, palm oil, tomato paste, groundnut, biscuits, fruit juice, powdered milk and drinking water.
Other non-food relief items include mosquito repellant creams, mosquito nets, blankets, mattresses, solar-powered lanterns with telephone charging features, sanitary items and many more.
Mr Arthur said the VRA has also deployed water tankers to consistently make water available to the
affected people, Provided medical items and personnel to screen and administer, medical treatment to emerging health issues and provided buses, trucks and pick-up vehicles to assist in the internal transportation of both goods and affected people.
The VRA has also restored the damaged community water supply pumps in Aveyime, and installed a portable water treatment system at the St. Kizito School, safe-haven, in Mepe.
Mr Arthur said with the support of the Ministry of Energy, VRA has distributed 5000 solar lamps to various safe-haven, with ECG, the power supply has been reconnected to the St.Kizito safe haven in Mepe.
He said Zoom Lion was contracted to provide mobile toilets, service them, and also to provide sanitation services at the safe havens while an access road has been created in Mepe to the St. Kizito centre to avoid access by boat and removal of weeds from the Sogakope bridge to facilitate the flow of the river into the ocean.
Mr Arthur said VRA had also committed GHS20 million towards alleviating the adverse impact on the affected communities as a result of the unavoidable spillage of excess inflow into the Akosombo and Kpong Dams.
“We wish to assure the public that VRA will continue to monitor the situation and provide the needed support, together with NADMO and the other relevant agencies, to ensure the well-being of the affected communities. The Authority reiterates that no one will be left behind in this emergency situation,” Mr Arthur said.
The Volta River Authority was compelled to commence controlled spillage of excess inflows into the Akosombo and Kpong Hydro-electric Dams on September 15, 2023, which was within the various graduated stages of the EPP phase 1 spillage rate.
On October 9, 2023, the spill rate was increased to phase 2, due to persistent rainfall which resulted in a continuous rise of the water level in the Akosombo Dam.
As a result of this, flooding has been encountered in several communities within parts of the Volta, Greater Accra, and Eastern regions. The districts affected include North Tongu, Central Tongu, South Tongu, Anlo and Keta Municipality, in the Volta Region.
The rest are Asuogyaman and Lower Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region, and Shai Osudoku, and Ada East, in the Greater Accra Region, with Mepe township, in the North Tongu District being the worst-hit community.
GNA