Flood: The ‘wisest’ thing to do is to declare a ‘regional’ state of emergency – Dr Norman

At the moment, the President can only declare a regional state of emergency due to the flood disaster in parts of the Volta Region caused by the spillage of water from the Akosombo Dam, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Security, Disaster and Emergency Studies, Dr Ishmael Norman, has said.

He, however, doubted if the President will declare even a regional state of emergency.

At best, he said, the President would rely on an Executive Instrument (EI) just as he did during the outbreak of Covid-19, to control the situation.

“If you declare a state of emergency it allows the government to allocate a lot of resources to confront and tackle the emergency, so if the government is dedicated to solving this problem, then the wisest thing to do will be a declaration of a regional state of emergency because it has not become national yet.

“The spillage and flooding subsequent, have not become overwhelming that the country cannot handle or the region can’t handle it, this is an isolated case, maybe 9 districts or even 12 affected, that is still not overwhelming. But in order to declare a regional state of emergency, the President will have to go to Parliament, report to the Parliament of what has happened and follow the modalities as listed under Article 31,” he said on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 Wednesday, October 18, 2023.

His comments come at a time President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been told to declare a state of emergency over the disaster.

Former President John Dramani Mahama who also made the call, said it was clear that the scope and scale of the flooding of communities along the Volta River was bigger than “our crippled economy can bear.”

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“I recommend to Government to declare a State of Emergency in the affected areas and request relief assistance from our bilateral and multilateral partners immediately,” he wrote on Facebook.

Former Health Minister Alex Segbefia also asked the president to declare a state of emergency in the areas.

In his view, it would cause no disturbances if a state of emergency is declared.

“I don’t think there is any harm to declare a state of emergency,” he said on the Big Issue on TV3 Wednesday, October 18 after asking the government to prepare ahead of a possible health emergency.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) also backed calls for a state of emergency to be declared.

GNAT said the state of emergency would ensure public safety and maintenance of law and order.

Communities including Mepe and Battor in the North Tongu Constituency have been severely hit by the flood .

Spillage of water from the Akosombo dam is expected to continue until the excess inflows in the lake recede, according to the Volta River Authority (VRA).

GNAT in a statement issued on Tuesday, October 17 said it “equally backs the calls for a  state of emergency to be declared in the affected areas, since the circumstances under which a state of emergency could be declared, whether natural or man-made disasters, is being experienced currently which is not only threatening the very existence of the people but also depriving the communities of essentials of life. The declaration of the emergency would secure public safety, maintenance of public order, and generate the supply of essential goods and services required by the communities.”

The statement added “We ask our teachers in the region to remain steadfast and calm and assure them of our utmost assistance to enable them to carry out their duties when the storm is over.  Our learners are also not left out as we would make sure their dedication is neither disrupted nor thwarted for whatever reason.”

Likewise, the Assemblies of God Church also called for the declaration of a state of emergency in the affected areas.

The Church believed that this would help in dealing with the “depressing ” situation.

Addressing journalists in Accra on Tuesday, October 17, the General Overseer of the Assemblies of God Church, Rev Stephen Wengam said “The Assemblies of God Ghana fully backs calls for the declaration of a state of emergency in the flood-affected areas, this will help the necessary humanitarian measures being undertaken to bring the depressing situation under control.”

He further urged all Ghanaians to support the government in bringing the situation under control.

“The sad reality is that government and government agencies alone cannot shoulder the huge burden of bringing relief and hope to the people due to the untold disaster. This is the time therefore for Ghanaians of all social backgrounds, financial standings, political affiliations, and extractions to rally to the aid of the suffering fathers, mothers, and children.

“Corporate Ghana and other benevolent bodies must also identify themselves with humanitarian efforts  while counselors and psychologist also do their best.”

Following the flood situation, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) warned of the outbreak of cholera in the areas.

To that end, the GMA wants the Ministry of Health to be part of the 13-member inter-ministerial committee that has been formed to assess the flood situation.

Speaking on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 on Monday, October 16, Acting General Secretary of the GMA, Dr. Richard Selormey said “in our view as the GMA, in such an emergency, there is a big component that the health sector plays in the relief efforts.

“If you take this flooding for example, people have lost their livelihoods, people have been displaced from their homes, many don’t have access to basic amenities that they had before and therefore there’s a great risk for waterborne diseases, for various injuries because of floating objects, The outbreak of some conditions as cholera, typhoid, and even malaria because there is a pooling of water everywhere.

“There is a big problem of continuity of care because people who used to access health facilities have been cut off. We are aware that there are about three health centres that have been cut off by the floods.  This, we think, makes a compelling case that the Ministry, not the person of the Minister per se, has a big role to play in these efforts and it is important that the Health Ministry is included in this inter-ministerial committee.”

The government formed the 13-member inter-ministerial committee chaired by the Chief of Staff to address issues relating to the flood.

The members are Ministers of National Security, Interior, Defence, Energy, Finance, Local Government, Works and Housing,  Roads and Highways, Environment, Sanitation, Lands and Natural Resources, and Information.

The committee was formed on the instruction of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, a statement issued by Information Minister Kojo Joopong Nkrumah on Friday, October 13 said.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the VRA, Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa said that the lake is currently experiencing inflows more than expected hence the spillage is going to continue.

“We are on phase II [of the spillage] right now and it is a cycle. It is normal at this time of the year for us to experience inflows. The difference is that we are getting more than expected and to safeguard this dam means that we have to spill water, that is the standard operation for any hydro dam but the inflows that we are seeing now are in excess.

“Definitely, as the cycle goes through this will recede so we are hoping it will recede in the next time,” he told journalists on Thursday, October 12.

“The spilling may continue even though we are anticipating that the levels may drop down to phase 1, which was started on September 15 but of course, we did not have much excess as we are seeing now, this is an emergency as we have seen from the beginning.

“Whether dredging or no dredging it is an emergency. The volume of water that is coming into the lake right now which we have to throw out, it means that we need to evacuate people from wherever they are to ensure they are safe until the inflows recede,” he added.

The VRA was accused of neglecting its responsibilities in the Lower Volta Basin hence the huge impact of flood caused by spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams on communities

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo assured the chiefs and the people of Mepe and the other towns in the North, South, and Central Tongu areas in the Region that the government is going to do whatever it can within its powers to alleviate their plight.

He said “When I took the oath of office as president I took the oath of office as president for every single individual in Ghana, of all the people in Ghana, all districts whether they voted for me or not, once I have taken the oath of office I am the president of all the people.

“So Togbe, you and your elders, I want you to understand that when something like this happens and the government acts government is acting for Ghanaians.

“I came here because Ghanaians are having difficulties and suffering and it is my responsibility to try and help. If it is the question of counting who votes for me and who doesn’t vote for me  I shouldn’t be here because you don’t vote for me but that is not my concern. In any event one day, you will vote for me and my party.

“I came here this afternoon to express my sympathies and to commiserate with all the people in the Mepe area. I chose Mepe because this is the area that has been most affected.

“We have to also be very grateful for the work of VRA, the preparation they have been making over the years in such a situation, the simulation exercise, and all the things they have been doing to prepare for this including the sensitization. Because of the good that they have done up until now, by the grace of God,  not one single individual has lost his life in this crisis,” he said.