Over 500 residential facilities have collapsed in some five communities in the North Tongu area as a result of flooding caused by the Akosombo Dam spillage displacing thousands of residents. Other facilities such as social centers and church auditoriums have also suffered damages. Metrotvonline.com’s Akwasi Addo reports extensively on the matter.
I have come to witness for my self the magnitude of the devastation caused by the flooding disaster that has occurred as a result of the spillage of the Akosombo Dam by the Volta River Authority.
I’m ushered into the Old Sikor community, the second ancestral village of the people of Sikor Bator by Moses Mekporsigbe Kpordosi, an elder of the community. That is after crossing two rivers Bretu and Memor by canoe.
He is the only person left in the community to keep watch of belongings of residents that could be salvaged at the time the disaster struck.
Since October 15 when the flooding occurred, he’s been here alone and only takes inspiration from chirping birds.
Several residential facilities, church buildings and social centers have collapsed. Others have suffered structural integrity defects.
He tells me that the floods came unexpectedly and got every member of the community overwhelmed.
This is not the first time the community submerged. In 1963 a similar spillage caused the total depletion of the entire Sikor community. Moses, 12 years at the time of the incident recalls that it took much effort for community members to rebuild their houses. He says government’s support such as cement, roofing sheets and other building materials were even diverted. As at now no compensations were received from either the Volta River Authority or the government.
Another flooding disaster struck the area in 1971 but with mild damages. Then they witnessed this third disaster.
Moses describes the events as devastating and requests for effective distribution of relief materials and support for resettlement of the community.
Here at Asimetuokope, a suburb of New Sikor, this television set still rests on its cabinet after this two bedroom apartment collapsed.
Pointing to the television set and the collapsed building, an affected victim Antoinette Amu Sitsope expresses deep worry about the disaster. She is even more perturbed about how to get children from the community back to school.
The situation is not quiet different from other villages such as Memodzie and Gyimakope. Residents of those areas have lost their fish cages, vegetable and crop farms as well as a greater number of their livestocks.
Standing in one of the completely destroyed vegetable farms, Godwin Vok Avortri, an opinion leader describes to me how difficult it’ll be for farmers to bounce back. He says the cost of labour, cost of machinery and other farm inputs cannot be afforded by the affected farmers and implores government to institute an emergency policy that will help resuscitate farms in order to revive the economic lives of farmers.
Women who engaged in petty trading have lost their wares and capital to the flooding and would be difficult for them to bounce back to business. “The floods came just when I returned from the market with goods. I lost everything including cash. Some of us secured loans for our business and now we’ve lost everything. We really need support” These are the words that came from Victoria, a petty trader whose eyes were already filled with tears.
The Avetikpo D/A Basic School was identified and marked as a safe haven by the Volta River Authority some three years ago to serve as an evacuation center for victims in the even of the collapse of the Akosombo Dam which has become structurally weak.
The place is currently sheltering some 1,255 displaced victims including children. But there’s no comfort here. Apart from a few tents raised for too leaders of the communities and some few elderly persons, the other victims have had to share the various classrooms.
These classrooms have become overcrowded.
Assemblyman for the Avetikpo-Sikor Electoral Area, Kugah Derrick, forecasts the numbers here to rise even higher as some victims who sought temporary shelter at other places are coming to the camp.
He is worried about a possible outbreak of diseases and infections.
Obviously, traditional authorities of the area cannot and are not happy with the Volta River Authority as they say no early warnings were given before the spillage.
On behalf of the traditional leaders, Mathias Tommy Kpordonu expresses disappointment with the VRA and government for what he describes as a poor handling of the situation.
According to him, victims that are being sheltered at the evacuation center have had to rely on food donations from private individuals. He says the only commodity that is supplied to them is water which is being carried out by the National Disaster Management Organization, NADMO. He says there’s not enough food to share among the victims and appeals for support from benevolent entities but want donations done directly to the victims but not through the district assembly.
“We are appealing to all benevolent personalities in this country to come to our aid. But they should bring the items directly to us. We haven’t gotten any share out of the donations made to the District Assembly at Aveyime” he said.
Though the flood waters have significantly receded, many victims remain terrified to return to their homes should the area even be declared safe. There are many who have become homeless. Leaders of the respective communities are appealing to government to aid a resettlement. The traditional council has expressed its readiness in offering land to that effect. Speaking on behalf of the Sikor Youth Association, Mekporsigbe Alorse told Metro News that “this is the third time our communities have suffered. Most of us have become terrified and not willing to return to our homes. Our traditional council have donated a land for resettlement. All we are pleading for is government’s support so we can put up new houses”.
By: Akwasi Addo | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
