By Edward Williams
Ho, Aug. 13, GNA – Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister, has called on the Parliamentary Ad-hoc Committee on the Akosombo-Dam Spillage to ensure that there are policies on centralised relief centres.
He said it would ensure effective coordination and disaster management should the region encounter a disaster of such magnitude again.
Last year, several communities along the banks of the Volta River including farmlands, houses and properties were affected by the Akosombo-Dam spillage.
Dr Letsa during a courtesy call by the seven-member Committee in Ho, entreated the Committee to ensure that their final report contained findings and recommendations that would help equip the team to effectively tackle any future eventualities in the region.
He said valuable lessons had been learnt from the disaster hence the need to put adequate measures in place to prevent a repeat of similar occurrences in the future.
Dr Letsa shared with the Committee the measures, efforts and relief items that were put in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all the victims affected by the spillage.
He shared with the Committee a series of sensitisation exercises as well as stakeholder engagement meetings that were carried out by the Volta River Authority (VRA) to educate members of the public in flood-prone areas in the region.
Dr Letsa said the engagements were on safety measures they should take to safeguard and protect themselves from falling victims to similar occurrences in future.
He commended the Ghana Armed Forces, the National Disaster Management Organization, religious groups, organizations and individuals who supported the victims with relief items and in other diverse ways during the period.
The visit forms part of the Committee’s schedule to embark on a field visit to some of the communities in the region to obtain first-hand information on the effects of the Akosombo dam spillage and the way forward.
Mr Suleman Adamu, Chairman of the Committee, said the Committee’s terms of reference included evaluating the preparedness and response of the Volta River Authority (VRA).
He said it also included assessing the impact on affected communities and making recommendations to prevent similar disasters from occurring in the future.
GNA