Former President John Mahama has criticised the Volta River Authority (VRA) of neglecting to implement a catastrophe preparedness strategy before to the Akosombo dam spill.
According to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), excess water from the Akosombo and Kpong dams has displaced at least 31,000 people across nine districts.
Crops have been damaged, schools have been closed, and the economy has come to a halt in Mepe, the epicentre of the Volta Region, and sections of the Eastern and Greater Accra regions when the dams at Akosombo and Kpong overflowed.
Speaking at a policy conference on establishing a West African Development Strategy at the University of Calgary in Canada, Mahama stated that the government has not responded adequately to the disaster, in part due to Ghana’s economic problems.
“For example, in my country, the climate crisis has created a humanitarian disaster for people living along the Volta River, as more than expected rainfall in the Volta River catchment area has resulted in the Volta River Authority (VRA) opening the spill gates of the Akosombo dam.”
“This has resulted in flooding and the displacement of families, as well as the disruption of businesses and the closure of health and educational facilities.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced as a result of the floods, and they are living in precarious conditions without adequate relief in terms of shelter, food, water, and sanitation,” he said.
“As we speak, government has not been able to adequately respond to the disaster because of the challenges we face with the economy, the debt burden and the lack of a disaster preparation plan before the decision to spill was made,” Mahama said in a statement.
