The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other stakeholders have commended the Volta River Authority (VRA) for its extensive preparedness and support to affected communities in the emergency brought on by spilling excess water from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams.
At a press briefing hosted by the Ministry of Information at Battor in the Volta Region on Friday, October 27, 2023, Director-General of NADMO, Eric Nana Agyemang Prempeh, said the extent of the Authority’s efforts – including wide stakeholder consultations in its preparedness activities and prompt response – are commendable.
He was providing an update on how NADMO has handled the situation thus far, including the distribution of supplies and assistance to inundated communities.
Before the spillage
He said the VRA, using a data-driven approach, had strategically decided to start a controlled spill from the reservoirs in order to safeguard both lives of those living downstream and the dams’ structural integrity.
Consequently, in order to help lessen effects from the controlled spillage, the VRA and NADMO planned ahead and executed a number of well-coordinated initiatives with districts which could be affected.
Among these was an exercise in May called ‘Exercise Da Wo Ho So 2023’ – which simulated the Authority’s emergency preparedness in order to make sure all relevant parties were ready for a flood-related incident. He stated that all stakeholders’ emergency response and protocols were put to the test during this exercise; and lessons learned were identified to enhance coordination, readiness and responsiveness.
The Director-General clarified that in order to prepare all parties for effects of the spilling NADMO, and the VRA on September 9, 2023 organised district disaster management committees and wrote to various communities downstream the dam to increase awareness of the impending spillage.
Furthermore, regular updates on the spillage were provided on the disaster platforms of the nine districts downstream the dam.
Stakeholder consultations
NADMO’s boss noted that VRA’s Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) includes a thorough communication procedure to alert and educate stakeholders and the general public about the spill and its possible consequences. As a result, VRA actively collaborated with NADMO and each of the nine districts downstream of the Akosombo Dam, to improve community resilience via education and awareness campaigns.
Relief support
Mr. Eric Nana Agyemang Prempeh further mentioned that a high-level delegation from the VRA, under the direction of its Chief Executive, Ing Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, and officials of NADMO carried out a quick evaluation in order to gather first-hand knowledge and offer prompt support.
As a result, they started extensive distribution operations including giving relief supplies and necessities to the affected communities, as well as educating the local populace about safety precautions and risk-reduction techniques. The communities affected have also been actively engaged by the Municipal and District Assemblies, which worked to enable their evacuation to higher ground in order to guarantee their safety during the extended spill operations.
He said the combined efforts of VRA, NADMO and other stakeholders aimed to alleviate the suffering of affected communities, and reinforce their commitment to resilience in the face of natural disasters. Security personnel from the various agencies were deployed to aid response operations in the different communities
Relief administration began when people started moving to the safe havens from September 12; the items were positioned in North, Central and South Tongu, and Ada East. The VRA and NADMO provided water-tankers to aid with potable water supply for those in safe havens and affected communities. The VRA further provided vehicles, buses and trucks to assist with moving the people to various safe havens, and those who wanted to relocate with their families.
According to the NADMO Director-General, VRA and NADMO subsequently tackled the problems of electricity, water and sanitation, and mobile toilets. The Volta River Authority further assisted in building an access road from Battor to St. Kizito in Mepe, a distance of approximately 5.76 kilometres.
Continued relief administration
Through the disaster management committees of affected districts and relief administration committees of all stakeholders, NADMO, VRA and associated agencies plan to continue relief administration. These will include decontamination as the water recedes community debris clearance; reopening schools; structural integrity assessments of the homes and infrastructure in affected communities; and support for sustainable livelihood programmes and other interventions. The inter-ministerial committee will decide further on additional interventions.
Non-spillage floods
The NADMO Director-General emphasised that the majority of flooding in the various districts is caused by the Black Volta overflow in northern parts of the country and excessive rainfall, rather than the VRA’s Akosombo Dam spillage. The crisis management agency is thus conducting assessments in these areas in order to provide support, especially to the affected districts.
Districts in the Volta Region – including South and North Dayi, Kpando, Afadjato, Keta and Ketu – have also received relief assistance. These areas were inundated by spills upstream rather than the VRA’s Akosombo spill. Other districts are Krachi East and West, Krachi Nchumurum, Biakoye, West and Central Gonja, and Salaga in the Savannah Region.
