All communities in lower Volta basin were adequately informed about spillage – VRA

The Volta River Authority (VRA) has insisted that all communities in the lower Volta basin, affected by floods as a result of the spillage from the Akosombo Dam were adequately informed and educated on the need to move to higher grounds before the spillage started.

The last simulation exercise about a possible spillage as a result of the continuous inflow of water into the dam was undertaken in May 2023, the VRA has said.

In a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Accra based Citi FM on Monday morning (Oct 16, 2023),  Edward Ekow Obeng-Kenzo, Deputy Chief Executive of the VRA in charge of Engineering and Operations said all communities were adequately informed and warnings were issued.”

“We started spilling out small volumes of water hoping that the communities will start moving out themselves because we are not God to say that the rains will stop so we will close the gates tomorrow or the next day. We thought that activity will be carried out, but as I always say, people normally say let us wait and see what will happen, some were caught anyway, because the volumes and the speed of the water coming, you cannot say that you can quickly outrun it and save all your properties in it. And as you know most people will like to evacuate everything in their room before leaving and that also affected the evacuation of the people. So in a nutshell, we really educated them and they knew what they were supposed to do accordingly,” the deputy CEO said.

“Somewhere last year, November 2022, we contacted all the agencies, NADMO, Fire Service, all district assemblies, that we wanted to carry out a simulation exercise in the second quarter of 2023, because of the volumes of water we were seeing in the lake.

“We carried out that exercise in May 2023. All the communities were informed, all the communities were involved in carrying out this exercise.”

Mepe

“Mepe was even the centre of the exercise, the emergency operational centre was established in Mepe, and that was where we carried out that exercise, knowing the nature of the land in Mepe, because it is a low lying area.”

“The district assemblies were involved, radio stations, the media were involved, it was communicated that something of this sort could happen and when it happens, becareful, we even termed that exercise ‘Da wo ho so’ – [Be ready]. And when we saw that the levels were going up, somewhere in August we started communicating also, so somewhere 13th September we issued out letters to all the agencies, which were concerned that this is what is going to happen…, the protocols, emergency preparedness plans were activated.

“We started spilling out small volumes of water hoping that the communities will start moving out themselves because we are not God to say that the rains will stop so we will close the gates tomorrow or the next day. We thought that activity will be carried out, but as I always say, people normally say let us wait and see what will happen, some were caught anyway, because the volumes and the speed of the water coming, you cannot say that you can quickly outrun it and save all your properties in it. And as you know most people will like to evacuate everything in their room before leaving and that also affected the evacuation of the people. So in a nutshell, we really educated them and they knew what they were supposed to do accordingly,” the deputy CEO said.

Source: Graphiconline