Compensation for Akosombo, Kpong dam spill imperative
It will be recalled that in September and October, 2023, the Volta River Authority (VRA) undertook what it termed as a controlled spill of the Akosombo and Kpong dams due to a consistent rise in the inflow pattern and water levels in them to ensure their safety.
The spillage affected eight districts in the Greater Accra, Eastern and Volta Regions by way of destruction of homes, livelihoods and displacement of residents.
Data has so far been collected from 63 per cent (that is, 117 out of 184) affected communities by NADMO, MoFA and other sources for the assessment of the impact of the floods.
This exercise is important and we hope the 67 communities left will be covered so that the actual impact of the spills can be ascertained.
Meanwhile, it is said that an estimated GH¢1.6bn agriculture livelihoods were lost due to the Akosombo/Kpong Dam spillage.
According to a Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations source, that livelihood loss alone represents an estimated 1.2 per cent in Gross Domestic Product of Ghana.
This is why we think a complete assessment must be done to ascertain the losses in all areas of the life of the victims.
This is because apart from the livelihoods, some of the victims may have lost things like buildings, even cash, personal effects and valuables like jewelry.
The damage to public property like roads and school buildings cannot be ignored either.
If all these are accounted for, then the best ways to adopt to restore what can be restored or compensate the people can be determined.
Even where flooding occurs as a natural incident, the government will have to go to the aid of the victims, so there should not be dragging of feet in finding some restoration for the victims of the controlled spill that went awry.
The truth is that there are some of the victims who cannot get back to their normal lives without any assistance, and so for the sake of these ones, some assistance must be offered and offered quickly.
Donation of relief items like food and clothing is not our focus but assistance that can help to restore livelihoods.
We live in a country where some public officials in charge of such matters show negligence to a large extent and the powerless victims cannot fight the system.
This is why we have taken it upon ourselves to appeal to the authorities on their behalf.
We have not forgotten the Volta River Authority announcing a commitment of GH¢20,000,000.00 in October last year, to use to mitigate the adverse effects on communities impacted by the unprecedented spillage of excess inflow into the Akosombo and Kpong Dams, and at the time of the announcement, approximately GH¢9 million of the amount had already been allocated to relief efforts.
We are calling for something more than this, a real compensation that can put the victims back on their feet to fend for themselves and also enjoy utility, health and other services as expected.
We know some individuals and groups have already called for payment of compensation to the victims and for their resettlement.
These are calls that demand actions to assuage the suffering of the people.
