Victims affected by the flooding caused by the Akosombo dam spillage are now returning to their residences, as the floodwaters have receded and several communities have undergone fumigation in the weeks following the incident.
National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) had previously indicated that the Volta River was displaying signs of receding and maintaining its regular course. Consequently, stagnant floodwaters in certain areas are subsiding.
During an interview on the AM Show on JoyNews, the Deputy Director General of Technical and Reforms at NADMO, Seji Saji Amedonu, highlighted the varying degrees of destruction experienced across different communities due to the spillage.
Additionally, NADMO is actively engaged in pumping out the remaining floodwater from these affected areas.
“We have some structures that were completely covered, some structures that the water was at the base level and some structures that the water was at the window level, some also less than the window or about two feet. Those ones have the residents moving back immediately the water depleted.
“When the water receded, some places were completely dried out and those one are the areas that some fumigation were done but there is still pools of water in the Mepe township. We are working very hard now and for four or five days we have been pumping the water into a channel that will lead it back into the river. So for returning to their homes, quite a lot of people have returned to their homes,” he emphasized.
In recent developments, the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has confirmed the resumption of teaching and learning activities in 81 out of the 108 schools affected by the Akosombo spillage across nine districts.
According to GES Director-General, Dr Eric Nkansah, “we are also making good progress working with key stakeholders to restore teaching and learning in the remaining 27 schools within the North Tongu District, which, for the most part, are used as camps and Safe Havens by displaced households”.
“Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that all schools affected by the floods resume teaching and learning activities within the shortest possible time,” he said.
The Volta River Authority (VRA) initiated the spilling of excess water from the Akosombo and Kpong Hydro Dams on September 15 due to escalating water levels. The spillage was brought to a halt on October 30, 2023.
In the aftermath of the prolonged spillage, numerous inhabitants residing along the Lower Volta Basin witnessed the loss of their residences and agricultural lands to the ensuing floods.
The spillage affected a total of nine districts, with particularly devastating impacts felt in the South, Central, and North Tongu districts within the Volta Region.
Once vibrant communities such as Battor, Tefle, Mepe, Sogakope, Adidome, and Anlo found themselves submerged.
According to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NaDMO), over 26,000 individuals were displaced and left homeless as a consequence of this calamity.
In response, various organizations and individuals have extended support by providing essential relief items to assist the affected residents.