VRA, NADMO organise workshop for downstream stakeholders
The Volta River Authority (VRA) and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO), have organised a one-day workshop for stakeholders in the nine districts and municipalities downstream of the Akosombo Dam on Flood Contingency Plan (FCP) and VRA Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) towards future spillages.
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The beneficiary districts in the Eastern, Volta and Greater Accra regions were North Tongu, Central Tongu, South Tongu, Anlo and Keta in the Volta Region, Ada East and Shai-Osudoku in the Greater Accra Region, and Lower Manya Krobo and Asuogyaman in the Eastern Region.
Workshop
The workshop, which was attended by all the departments in the district and municipal assemblies, was to get the stakeholders to be fully equipped with the FCP and the EPP for preparation towards future Akosombo Dam spillages.
The participants, all professionals in their respective areas of expertise, were taken through a good number of simulation exercises as contained in the FCP and the EPP.
The team visited all the downstream districts and municipalities and shared the details of the contingency plans and what was expected of the stakeholders in case the flood occurred.
There were presentations of action plans, facilitators’ comments, open discussions and recommendations to enhance the contingency plans, should floods occur.
Contingency plan
The Deputy Director —General of NADMO, Seji Saji, who led the team in the discussions, said NADMO as an organisation with the support of VRA and WHO, was given the responsibility to coordinate the nine districts and municipalities to have contingency plans for preparation towards any emergency in flood situations.
He said in most recent times, one of the things that the organisation observed was to have a contingency plan in responding to any emergency, whether it was flood, fire or whatever, as the situation was that of flood of late.
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He explained further that the flood contingency plan must ensure that all the agencies of the assembly were identified and their roles spelt out clearly so that it was not only during the time of emergency but even prior to flooding situations, each of the agencies would know what exactly they were expected to do to save those that would be trapped.
“We have so far engaged all the nine districts and municipalities downstream and we developed and discussed the contingency plans with them. The plans were ready and we did table-top simulations with all of them.”
“We invited all the relevant agencies, both government and non-governmental, and even community leaders to make sure they familiarise with the plan and know exactly what role they are to play should they be called upon in an emergency situation, especially flood, which we experienced recently,” Mr Saji added.
He expressed the hope that the form of capacity which was built for the participants in all the assemblies visited would guide the intervention of every agency within the flood-prone areas.
Prior notice
A VRA representative, Kwame Darkwa, assured all the assemblies that in the event that there would be spillage, they would be duly informed in order to put what they learnt at the capacity-building workshop into action.
The Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Chief Executive, Simon Kweku Tetteh, was grateful to the organisers for putting together the workshop for all the stakeholders and agencies in the assemblies.
He, therefore, gave an assurance that they were ever prepared to assist, especially in the event of flooding that had put fear in communities along the downstream of the Akosombo Dam.