According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, the Volta River Authority (VRA) may have carried out the Akosombo Dam Spillage without the necessary approval from the cabinet.
The North Tongu lawmaker emphasized that the Akosombo Dam Spillage has national implications and would have required presidential approval.
“The opening of the floodgates, you know, has national security implications. VRA will not take this decision without the cabinet, they need presidential approval, and the cabinet must approve it. It has national security considerations. It also has implications for food security.
“That enclave is the food bucket of our country, our rice, our maize, our mangos, pepper, onions, and vegetables, name them all from that enclave,” Mr. Ablakwa stated during an interview on Starr Chat with Bola Ray on Thursday.
According to him, the comments by the Minister of Energy that they asked the people to move was false.
“What you do as responsible leaders is that you prepare a proper safe-haven not these classrooms they are calling safe-havens. Then you give the people notice, you must even do force evacuation.
Where you ensure that everybody has relocated to where you have prepared. A safe place where you have prepared you urge them to take their valuables, what matters most then they relocate to that prepared place. That is what happens everywhere,” Mr. Ablakwa added.
Background
The Akosombo Dam Spillage began on September 15, 2023, causing significant damage to several communities along the Volta River. Fish farming on the river which is a source of livelihood for residents was destroyed incurring huge investment losses.
Experts are warning that due to climate change, over 26,000 residents affected by the Spillage should avoid reoccupying these vulnerable areas.
However, the affected residents in Asuogyaman District are urging the VRA and the government to provide them with lands on higher ground for resettlement.