Charles McCarthy, the Editor of the Hawk Newspaper has expressed his profound disappointment about Ghana’s inability to effectively manage the Akosombo Dam spillage, labeling it a “VRA disaster.”
During the Editor’s Take edition on the Happy Morning Show, McCarthy stressed that the nation, at 66 years, should be better equipped to handle such crises, criticizing those in power for their apparent neglect of the situation.
“We need to all be on our knees and be crying. This is just outright disgrace. At 66 years, a pensioner’s age, we can’t manage man-made disaster. In fact let me clearly say it’s a VRA disaster. Because our people in power don’t value and respect us, they’re rather moving around talking down and ignoring the real concerns of the damage this disaster has caused,” he said.
He pointed out that the Volta River Authority (VRA) claimed to have predicted the spillage back in November 2022, yet failed to take necessary precautions and implement emergency measures. This failure to act has had devastating consequences on affected communities and the nation as a whole.
“You can confidently say that you predicted the spillage in November 2022 but they couldn’t, none of our people in authority thought it wise to prepare relief and emergency measures,” he added.
The Akosombo Dam, operated by the Volta River Authority (VRA), initiated the water spillage on September 15, 2023, in response to a consistent rise in the inflow pattern and water level of the Akosombo reservoir.
Initially described as a disaster mitigation plan, the spillage began at a low rate, with minimal impact on downstream communities. However, on October 10, 2023, the VRA opened six spillage gates to increase the flow as water inflow continued to rise, threatening the dam’s maximum capacity.
The primary objective of this heightened spillage was to safeguard the dam’s structural integrity and technological installations. Unfortunately, this move has resulted in the overflow of the Volta River’s banks, displacing settlements across nine different district assemblies in the Volta and Eastern regions, including North, Central, and South Tongu District Assemblies, Asuogyaman, Shai Osudoku, and Ada.
The communities along the lower Volta Basin have borne the brunt of the crisis, experiencing widespread power outages, submerged houses, and hungry displaced residents. Furthermore, the sheer volume of water released from the dams has led to the flooding of lagoons in the Keta basin, impacting several communities in the Anlo and Keta districts.
Even the hospitality sector has not been spared, with Villa Cisneros, Sogakope Beach Resort and Spa, and Holy Trinity Spa and Health Farm among the notable facilities affected by the flooding. In a concerning turn of events, 25 nurses were evacuated from the nurses’ quarters at the Comboni District Hospital in Sogakope, underscoring the human impact of this ongoing disaster.
