Dredging Or No Dredging, This Is An Emergency; The Lake Is Experiencing Excess Inflows – VRA2 min read
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa has declared the current situation with the Akosombo dam which is experiencing inflows more than expected as an emergency situation.
He says the issue has nothing to do with dredging.
Mr Antwi-Darko indicated that the spillage of water from the dam will continue until the excess water recedes.
“We are on phase II [of the spillage] right now and it is a cycle. It is normal at this time of the year for us to experience inflows. The difference is that we are getting more than expected and to safeguard this dam means that we have to spill water, that is the standard operation for any hydro dam but the inflows that we are seeing now are in excess.
“Definitely, as the cycle goes through this will recede so we are hoping it will recede in the next time,” he told journalists on Thursday, October 12.
“The spilling may continue even though we are anticipating that the levels may drop down to phase 1, which was started on September 15 but of course, we did not have much excess as we are seeing now, this is an emergency as we have seen from the beginning.
“Whether dredging or no dredging it is an emergency. The volume of water that is coming into the lake right now which we have to throw out, it means that we need to evacuate people from wherever they are to ensure they are safe until the inflows recede,” he added.
The VRA was accused of neglecting its responsibilities in the Lower Volta Basin hence the huge impact of flood caused by spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams on communities.
A Former Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Kenneth Dzirasah, accused the Authority of failing to dredge the estuary in Ada to allow for the free flow of water.
Mr Dzirasah indicated that for the past 20 years that he left the scene, there has been no dredging of the estuary. The VRA, he added, has a dredging machine that is over 40 years old and is unserviceable.
He was commenting on the flood that was caused by the spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong dams, affecting communities including Mepe and Battor.
He said is threatening the structural integrity of the Sogakofe Bridge in the Volta Region.
He indicated that the level of the water from the spillage has reached the neck of the Sogakope Bridge in the Volta Region hence if the spillage is not stopped immediately, the facility is going to be affected.
