Akosombo Dam Spillage: useful waters causing useless destruction

In such a sad and devastating manner, over 40,000 people and about 23 communities have had their homes, properties, schools, livelihoods, and other essentials swept away by floodwater. This is as a result of the spillage from the Akosombo and the Kpong dams in the Eastern region.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) started gusting out excess water from the Akosombo and Kpong dams on September 15, 2023. This they attributed to the rising water levels in both reservoirs which poses a risk to the dams and the continuous generation of power. Spilling of water from the dam is not a new thing to the residents living around the dam but this seems to be the highest magnitude of dislocation since the building and operation of the Akosombo Dam in 1965.

In a very unusual manner, we have experienced extensive rainfall this year, especially in the northeastern part of Ghana, and this is largely to be blamed for the havoc we are experiencing. This has travelled out of the immediate environs and has affected people in parts of Volta, Oti, Savannah, Eastern, and some coastal parts of the Greater Accra Region.

Thousands of homes have been submerged downstream of the dam and this is partly because of the siltation of the channels.  Water channels are blocked with sand, soil, etc. causing a hindrance to the flow of water. It is also believed that buffer areas of the dam have been encroached on for residential and commercial properties. I wonder why the VRA looked unconcerned for this encroachment and siltation to occur while they were paid to ensure the right thing was done at all times.

In a typical Ghanaian style, we are all reacting to the effects of the spillage after people have lost their entire livelihood. The VRA, Ghana Medical Association (GMA), National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), and the Ghana Navy are collaborating in attempts to rescue people. The question is must we always react to issues? Why have we not built enough reservoirs to store and reuse the water? Should our people mostly the less privileged suffer before we act?

Ghana has committed to the entire 17 goals of the SDGs, but in a rather sad manner, we have made little or no effort to attain the goals. Some of the affected persons are school children, and for about 4 weeks now they cannot access their schools. Children, babies, pregnant women, and the aged are being housed in temporary classrooms, and church premises which are on much higher grounds.

The spillage has affected the power supply to communities along the lower Volta basin, electricity substations at Fieve, and Sogakope have all been flooded leading to a power shutdown. Critical social amenities like hospitals have all been flooded putting the lives of both health personnel and patients at risk.

The high level of flooding has completely cut off some communities as road networks are washed away. Commuters now rely on boats, canoes, etc. as many are stranded. All commercial activities have been grounded to a halt with no clear hope of when those affected communities will bounce back.

Regrettably, hospitality facilities like Villa Cisneros, Sogakope Beach Resort and Spa, and Holy Trinity Spa and Health Farm have all been adversely affected by the raging flood with no end in sight. With its impact on employment, your guess may be as good as mine, pushing many people down the lane of poverty.

Cemeteries and public toilet facilities have all been washed away and their impact on public health cannot be overemphasized. This is a public health emergency and all efforts must be made to curb the spread of diseases. The makeshift toilet facilities provided so far cannot cover the entire affected communities, which can result in open defecation.

More critically, some environmental specialists fear that the flood and its unwanted substances could work their way into the food value chain, especially the public water supply. The spillage clearly impacts the ecology and ecosystem. We may be at risk of losing some essential species, and aspects of nature which will compromise the integrity and quality of biodiversity.

Both technical and financial assistance are needed to ensure the safety of the affected communities. This is the more reason why some stakeholders like the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) have called for the declaration of “a state of emergency” in the affected areas. This call will attract the needed intervention and support from our multi-national partners, donors, and NGOs across the world.

It is instructive to note that, the spillage has caused some nearby lagoons to overflow their banks and that has also led to flooding in some communities in the Keta and Anlo districts. A clear demonstration of the repelling effect of the single decision by VRA to spill waters without any plan to ensure the safety of the people in the catchment areas of the dam.

The VRA justifies its decision to spill the excess water with the fact that if it allows the water in the dam, it will overflow and compromise the dam which will lead to its total collapse. This they claim will wipe out the whole area and kill millions of people. At this point, they needed to settle for the lesser evil of the spillage.

As expected in every situation, the government through NADMO has presented relief items to the affected people. VRA has announced its commitment of GHS20,000,000.00 to mitigate the adverse effects on communities impacted by the unprecedented spillage of water into the affected communities.

The GMA and VRA in a joint effort have provided medical items and personnel to screen and administer medical treatment to emerging health issues. Again the VRA has made available buses, trucks, and pick-up vehicles to assist in the internal transportation. They have also provided a portable water treatment system at Mepe as well as the distribution of 5000 solar lamps among food items, mattresses, etc.

Other corporate institutions, religious bodies, NGOs, philanthropists, etc. have also provided the affected victims with various relief items ranging from water, canned foods, bags of rice, clothing, mattresses, blankets, etc.

It is extremely devastating and heartbreaking to see the extent of damage the spillage has caused the affected communities. Most of the people have legitimately acquired their properties and I struggle to come to terms with those calling on them to relocate………relocate to where? What really is the point in serving mother Ghana, if the very nation we sacrifice for cannot ensure the safety of its own citizens?  Was it not the responsibility of the state to have relocated the affected people? Is there ever hope for this country?

Indeed, all these relief items being given to the affected communities means nothing, the havoc could have been avoided. The state and its actors cannot continue to mistreat its people in such an inhumane manner. The VRA has offered GHS20,000,000.00 to mitigate the adverse effects………what will this amount do in the lives of 40, 000 people who have lost everything they have laboured for all their lives? When will the land dry up for the indigenes to go back to their homes and how habitable are their homes and lands going forward?  Remember, farmlands, farms, and animals are lost for good and that is a lot of income lost.

It is important to emphasize the point that the affected people are not squatters or illegal occupants of the land, they lived there centuries before the formation of Ghana leading to the construction of the dam. They are the landowners who, out of love for Ghana’s development gave out their lands for building the dam. The irony is that some of the affected communities don’t even have electricity and other basic social amenities.

I am sure VRA has invested in the development of its employees (engineers), is that all they could do to help the affected people. Even refugees are given camps, basic amenities, and protection to ensure their safety. When will the state (government) demonstrate love and support for its own people most critically in situations like this?

The single most important thing is how to curb the recurrence of such a situation in the future. With the advancement in science and technology, VRA needs to take prompt measures to make good use of the excess water. This equally applies to the Weija dam; we see floods any time the Weija dam overflows.

In our collective bid to attain the SDGs, we need to commit to working at achieving the specific goals and targets that directly impact the lives of the people we seek to work for. It cannot be business as usual where people and institutions clothed with the mandate to work and effect change will go back to sleep waiting for the next disaster. Frankly, events like this are heartbreaking and make it sad to be a Ghana.

Source: Bright Ampadu Okyere