IT is good news that we have enough water in the Volta Dam to help us meet our energy and other needs. However, it is equally distressing that communities downstream of the Volta River are in danger of being flooded when the Volta River Authority (VRA) begins spilling excess water from the dam within 10 days to avoid possible damage to the dam.
It will be the first time in 20 years that the VRA will be spilling water from the dam, which is the main source of hydroelectric power generation in the country. The maximum operating level of the dam is 278 feet, but the level as of Monday, October 18, 2010, was 274.80 feet.
A table from the Greater Accra Regional Disaster Management Team indicated that the water level, which had been 273.30 feet on Monday, October 11, 2010, had quickly risen to 274.80 feet by Monday, October 18, 2010, an indication that the dam was building up too fast and must be relieved of excess water.
From the emerging trends, the issues involved are very alarming and if the situation continues, the spillage cannot be avoided.
According to estimates by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the floods are likely to affect more than 177,000 people nation-wide. The prudent remedy is for those living around the watercourse to relocate. Unfortunately, this has been the problem defying solution.
The six regions which have communities either close to the Volta Lake or lying along the path of the lake are the Northern, Greater Accra, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Eastern and Volta. Some of the specific areas at the lower course of the lake and most likely to be affected are the Dangme East and West districts in the Greater Accra Region and the Afram Plains, which covers areas within the Ashanti, Eastern, Brong Ahafo and Volta regions.
According to NADMO and VRA sources, the places likely to be affected are Kete Krachie, Nkwanta, Kpando, the North and South Tongu districts in the Volta Region; Atebubu, Yeji and Kwame Danso in the Brong Ahafo Region; Damongo, Salaga and Bimbila in the Northern Region, among other towns and villages.
This brings up the issue of our disaster preparedness plan. Regrettably, over the years our country’s disaster preparedness plan has not been the best.
For instance, when the rains are about to come, we give promises of clearing choked drains, only to wait till the last hour when the rains eventually come and destroy everything. Recent events concerning the Bagre Dam spillage which caused deaths and loss of property attest to this.
This time around, however, the DAILY GRAPHIC hopes that enough action will be taken to contain the challenges. What is good is that we have been informed of the spillage well in advance. This requires that we take all the necessary steps and checks to avoid any disaster. We should be adequately prepared to face the challenges.
It is in this vein that the DAILY GRAPHIC would like to call for intensified public education involving opinion leaders in the affected districts to let the inhabitants prepare for any eventuality. It is equally instructive for the district chief executives (DCEs) for Dangme East and West and all the other DCEs whose areas will be affected to ensure that the inhabitants close to the lake, as well as those living downstream, relocate to safer areas before the spillage occurs.
The people need to know about the possible disaster and the urgent need for them to leave the area for safety grounds.
In the past, we dreaded load shedding as a result of low levels of water in the dam. That is why now that we have more water in the dam, it should not be a curse. Now that it has come out that the water level keeps rising, there is no option left for the VRA but to get some of the water out of the dam to save that important national asset.
Our sincere prayer is that the exercise should be incident-free. Our dear nation should not lose lives and property anytime we have water spillage from our dams or heavy downpours. Such disasters must surely be things of the past.
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