Dam spillage floods: I will demand full compensation for all constituents - Ablakwa 

The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has stated that after the dust settles with floods following the Akosombo Dam spillage, he would demand full compensation for all the flood victims. 

Speaking  on Thursday (Oct 19) in a television interview on TV3’s “NewDay” morning programme from Mepe, one of the affected communities, Ablakwa said the Volta River Authority (VRA) would not be allowed to go free given the havoc their actions had visited on the people situated within the Lower Volta Basin. 

“VRA must know that we will not let them get away with this because you can’t make people lose their homes and  livelihoods and expect them to cope with it. We will insist on full compensation and nothing else,” Mr Ablakwa, who has many constituents affected by the floods said. 

The North Tongu MP said if the authority fails to rightfully and fully compensate affected persons, he would personally lead a class action against the VRA. 

Okudzeto Ablakwa noted that the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has already counted about 28,000 displaced people adding that his outfit was also putting together data on the value of property, farms and fishing ponds that have been lost in North Tongu constituency. 

“We are putting all this together so that when the time comes, they (VRA) can’t have an excuse that they didn’t have the data. So full compensation must be presented to our people, we are not going to compromise on that at all,” he stressed. 

Spillage 

From last week, October 9, 2023, tracts of land and communities downstream the Akosombo and Kpong dams have been flooded.

This follows the second-stage spillage of the two dams used to generate about a third of Ghana’s electricity supply.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) started the controlled spillage at the Akosombo and Kpong dams, both in the Eastern Region, from September 15, 2023 following excess water in both reservoirs due to appreciable levels of rainfall.

The spillage has affected almost all the communities along the lower Volta Basin, resulting in widespread power cuts in the affected communities. 

The GRIDCo sub-station in Fievie, Sogakope, in the Volta Region, has been inundated with floods, leading to the shutting down of the station.

With the absence of electricity, public installations, including hospitals in Sogakope and Adidome, are bearing the brunt of the flooding, leaving the lives of patients in danger. 

High water levels in Akosombo dam

The maximum level of water in the Akosombo Dam should be 276 feet.

As of Thursday (Oct 12, 2023), the water level in the dam was 276.92 feet or 84.405 metres.