Stakeholders hold emergency preparedness meeting in Koforidua

A stakeholders meeting to effectively implement the annual emergency preparedness plan (EPP) as well as the environmental management plan (EMP) for the Eastern Region has ended in Koforidua.

The meeting, which was held last Monday, was attended by officials from the various assemblies, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs), the Volta River Authority (VRA), National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Fire Service, the Police Service and the military.

They discussed issues likely to lead to disasters such as the spillage of water from the Akosombo Dam which is located in the region, as well as buffer zone policy, for participants to better understand the concept very well for implementation.

The participants also brainstormed how to prevent such disasters which occurred in some parts of the region last year after the Akosombo Dam spillage which affected many houses and displaced persons.

In 2024, parts of the Upper Manya Krobo, Asuogyaman, Lower Manya Krobo Municipality, Afram Plains North and the Afram Plains South which border the Volta Lake and the river experienced flooding amidst disasters at this time last year.

Disaster prevention

Addressing the stakeholders, the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, said the meeting had to be organised to see how best to prevent disasters emanating especially from flooding as a result of spillage from the Akosombo Dam and the river, which affected many communities situated near the banks of the lake and the river.

She indicated that as leaders, it was their collective responsibility to ensure the people in such communities were safe from water disasters such as flooding or spillage.

The regional minister said that could only be accomplished with the preparedness of the stakeholders to guide the people in such communities.

Mrs Awatey expressed her gratitude to the Volta River Authority (VRA) for organising the meeting and gave an assurance that the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) would do its best to support the VRA in all of its activities to prevent the flooding of the communities this year.

Rainy season

The Director, Water Resources and Renewable Energy of the VRA, Abdul Noor Wahab, said his outfit had been organising such stakeholder meetings during the rainy season each year, in a bid to conscientise people living along the banks of the Akosombo Dam and the Volta River, to prevent disasters that might arise due to flooding.

Mr Wahab expressed hope that the concerned districts and municipalities would also play their role to avert any potential disaster in their respective communities.

He stated that the VRA would continue to implement the annual emergency preparedness plan and environmental management plan document developed in 2010, to ensure the safety of people living along the banks of the lake and the river during the rainy season.

Writer's email: haruna.wunpini@graphic.com.gh