Following the spillage of the Akosombo Dam, which has displaced people in the Volta and Oti Regions, the Volta River Authority (VRA) has been criticised by the public for failing to pre-sensitise the public before the exercise.
The Authority has, however, refuted this claim, insisting that it engaged the affected communities through extensive public education campaigns to advise them to move to higher grounds.
The VRA said its last sensitisation campaign on this exercise was done in May 2023.
The Deputy Chief Executive (CEO) of the VRA in charge of Engineering and Operations, Mr Edward Ekow Obeng-Kenzo, made this disclosure in Accra on Monday on Citi FM.
He said the sensitisation exercise started as early as November 2022 when the Authority contacted all the agencies, including the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Ghana Fire Service and all the District Assemblies to inform them about the exercise.
“Mepe was even the centre of the exercise, the emergency operational centre was established in Mepe, and that was where we carried out that exercise, knowing the nature of the land in Mepe, because it is a low-lying area,” he said.
Mr Obeng-Kenzo said the District Assemblies were involved in the sensitisation exercise and that they employed several means of communication, including radio stations.
He added that when the Authority realised the water levels of the Dam had risen in August, it issued letters to all interested agencies around September 13, indicating their decision to spill it.
Bala Ali, ISD
Please provide prove of ALL the engagements, letters and their circulation, pictures of meetings and physical engagements in all the locations VRA visited. VRA will be exonerated if we follow up on the evidence you provide. We will also know which stakeholders did not perform their responsibilities.