Ho-Ghana, Oct 26, GNA – Mr Seji Saji, Deputy Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) Thursday said the flood receded by more than three feet at Mepe, the hardest-hit community.
He said the dire situation of flooding sequent to the spillage of the Akosombo Dam is normalising in the Tongu communities.
Mr Saji, speaking to the Ghana News Agency, in an interview said, “we are making progress as the flood has seen some recession as of Wednesday.”
He said the Volta River has shown signs of downward flow and maintaining its course, a situation that is compelling stagnant floodwater inundating some communities to recede.
He said if the trend continued, in a week’s time, many volumes of water would have moved out from the communities towards the sea.
Statistics shared by the Volta River Authority (VRA) on Thursday indicate the spill level reducing from 3,542 m3/s to about 2,571 m3/s with a resultant discharge of about 4,009 m3/s as the inflow continue to decline.
The Deputy Director-General said it was early to draw any conclusions, but cautioned displaced victims against rushing to occupy their buildings as experts would have to vouch for the integrity of their dwellings and addressing public health interventions to guarantee their safety.
On relief administration, Mr Saji said humanitarian response would be maintained for a long time towards stabilising the welfare of the affected victims.
VRA’s controlled spillage of the Akosombo Dam from September 15, till date has flooded communities in the Lower Volta Basin, destroying properties running into millions of cedis and burying large tracts of farms and food crops in additions to businesses and shattering the tourism industry in the affected areas.
More than 31,000 people have been displaced and are held up in various safe havens and living on humanitarian reliefs by state and private as well as political parties and NGOs.
