North Tongu: Flood Victims receive Support from Two Associations

Two Non- governmental organizations, the United Volta Association (UVA) and the National Council of Ghanaian Associations (NCOGA) both based in the United States of America (USA) have jointly donated 600 bags of cement to victims of last year’s devastating flooding of the three Tongu districts of the Volta region, occasioned by the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong dams by the Vota River Authority (VRA) displacing many residents and destroying property and farmlands.

The donation was to assist the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa whose constituency was hardest hit by the disaster and his partners to complete work on an ongoing alternative housing project for the flood victims, many of whom were currently putting up under make shift tents with their large families.

Torgbi Agbelorm-Agbotokor II, Chief of Salo in the Anlo Traditional Area, also known as Nana Ofei Asamani, the Nkosuohene of Akwamu Traditional Area who is the Ghana representative of the Council of Ewe Associations of North America (CEANA), accompanied by Torgbi Yiador I, development Chief of Atito in Anlo land and a founding member of the United Volta Association, led a delegation on behalf of Madam Ivy Rose Quarshie and Mr. Fred Dwamena, President of UVA and Executive Secretary General of NCOGA respectively, to the North Tongu Constituency to make the presentation on Sunday, July 7.

Torgbi Agbelorm-Agbotokor on behalf of the donor associations expressed sympathy to the victims whose living conditions have not witnessed any significant improvement.

The CEANA Ghana representative praised Hon. Ablakwa and his partners for their commitment to ensuring that the people of the enclave were provided with decent accommodations to enable them get over the devastating effects of the flooding.

Torgbi Agbelorm-Agbotokor appealed to benevolent organizations, government agencies and all well-meaning individuals, especially indigenes of the Volta region living in the diaspora to “lend a helping hand to their brothers and sisters in their challenging times.”

He described the plight of the affected residents as pathetic and pledged to liaise with CEANA to see how best to continue to assist the victims.

He personally presented GH¢400 to residents to enable them fix a damaged water pumping system which resulted in acute water shortage in the area, adding to the dwindling plight of the people.

Torgbi Yiador I, for his part commended the North Tongu MP, for his commitment to improving the living conditions of his people in the face of the disaster and urged others to emulate his efforts.

He also called on Voltarians in the diaspora and for that matter all Ghanaians living abroad to endeavor to lend a helping hand to their fellow country men and women who sometimes fall victims to these disasters.

Hon. Ablakwa in receiving the donation on behalf of the victims, expressed profound appreciation for the gesture and promised that it would be used for it’s intended purpose, to reduce the accommodation challenges currently bedeviling the people.

Some of the victims took turns to express gratitude to the donors for remembering them in their time of need.

They were particularly grateful to the MP for his unwavering support to them since the disaster occured some ten months ago.

In October 2023, a controlled spillage of the Akosombo Dam was conducted to prevent overflow, leading to the displacement of residents in low-lying areas.

The most affected communities were in the North and Central Tongu districts, with estimates indicating that over 35,857 people were displaced, and numerous homes and farmlands were destroyed as a result.

The floods had a significant impact on more than 30,000 individuals in the North Tongu district, leaving them in desperate need of assistance from both government agencies and charitable organisations.

Although there have been calls on government to step in to provide alternative housing units for the affected communities to lessen the burden on the people, little or no attention had been paid to these calls, raising concerns about government’s commitment to providing relief to citizens in times of disasters with many also raising concerns as to whether residents of the affected communities were not also deserving of a share of the national cake.

With the VRA hinting of another possible spillage of the Akosombo dam in weeks and the victims of last year’s spillage yet to be compensated by government, the residents of the affected communities may have to brace themselves for another disaster waiting to happen.

By Leo Nelson || Ghananewsonline.com.gh