“Victims of the Akosombo Dam spill-induced floods are being held accountable by the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Freda Prempeh, for failing to heed early evacuation warnings issued by the Volta River Authority and other government agencies.

The Minister asserted this to Ghana360news, in an interview on Monday October, 2023, that “these victims chose not to relocate until the unfortunate flooding incident occurred, thus placing an additional burden on the government.”

In light of this, the government is now required to allocate its limited resources to ensure the provision of relief items for these affected individuals.

Expressing concern, the Minister emphasized the necessity of preventing a recurrence of the Akosombo incident in Accra. She stated that “despite collaborative efforts by the VRA, NADMO, and the Water Resource Commission to educate the local community and conduct a simulation exercise in Mepe, the residents in Akosombo adamantly resisted evacuation and remained in their homes until the dam spillage began.”

“Unfortunately, as you can see, the government must spend millions of dollars on relief efforts, the water is contaminated throughout the affected area, and Ghana Water Company and the Water Resources Commission will need to spend millions of dollars to purify the water before it can be used in our pipes. A stitch in time saves nine, so the saying goes, but sometimes it’s hard to accept that. “We cannot continue to stand by and let this happen” she concluded.

Source: Ghana360news.com