Akosombo dam spillage: We must re-engineer dam to manage spillage -Dr. Bawumia
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia has stressed that the country needs to re-engineer the Akosombo Dam to manage spillage and its effects on the livelihoods of surrounding communities.
According to him, this is necessary to safeguard the dam, lives, livelihoods, and properties amidst the threat posed by climate change.
He made these comments during a tour of communities in the South and Central Tongu Districts flooded by the spilled water from the Akosombo Dam.
“Of course, I am not an engineer, so I want you the engineers to handle it. But one thing I have thought of is why can’t we have pipelines to the sea. But this is just someone who is not abreast in your field. Can we manage this spillage in a way that does not flood the immediate areas, divert the water as far as into the sea?”, he quizzed.
“We need to look for engineering solutions to the spillage of water out of the Volta dam. 10 years ago, our worry was about the low level of water in the dam, today we are worried about the high level of the water in the dam. So climate change is bringing in new situations that we have to handle, so I want to challenge the VRA and NADMO, let us start thinking of long-term solutions to this spillage from the dam. Is there a way we can manage the spillage?
The Volta River Authority (VRA) commenced the controlled water spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams on September 15, 2023, due to a consistent rise in the inflow pattern and water level of the Akosombo reservoir.
Thousands of residents in South Tongu, North Tongu, Central Tongu, Asuogyaman, and several other areas have had their homes submerged due to the spillage.
He also called for long-term solutions to deal with the aftermath of the Akosombo dam spillage.
“But we need to look for long-term solutions to this flooding,” he said. “Because it will happen this year, we can deal with it now. But what of next year? Because climate change appears to be taking hold,” he indicated.
