Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has successfully launched the MP’s Mobile Relief Caravan to aid victims of the Akosombo Dam spillage.
The MP has developed an effective distribution system to ensure that all 19 camps for displaced persons in his constituency regularly receive much-needed relief items without bottlenecks.
The MP’s office has secured a relief package comprising bags of rice, maize, sugar, cooking oil, canned fish, mosquito nets, detergents, tissues, mosquito repellents, sanitary towels, life jackets and tissues for onward distribution to all camps.
“The 10,000 displaced constituents remain dear to our hearts and shall not be abandoned. I shall be with you all the way — your welfare is my priority,” he said in a post.
The Volta River Authority (VRA) began releasing water from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams on September 15, 2023, in response to a consistent rise in the inflow pattern and water level of the Akosombo reservoir.
This action has resulted in extensive flooding in several regions, including South Tongu, North Tongu, Central Tongu, Asuogyaman, and more.
According to Mr Ablakwa, the Volta River Authority is yet to announce their non-negotiable plans for full compensation of all victims “of their unprecedented spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong dams.”
“This large-scale devastation of biblical proportion was totally avoidable if the VRA management had put in place the right safety precautions and adequate community engagement, particularly, as they were the only ones who knew the quantum of water to be discharged and the dire implications for life and property. That would have averted the unfolding catastrophe.
I sincerely hope we shall not be blamed when we begin series of legitimate actions to demand justice for VRA’s displaced victims and to end VRA’s continuous costly dereliction.”
