The Chairperson of the Environment and Sustainability Thematic Area for the Frimpong-Manso Institute (FMI), Dr. George Manful, has stated that controlled spillages of various dams in Ghana should not result in such unfortunate flooding situations again.
In a press release issued by the Institute on 24th October, 2023, Dr. George Manful indicated that contemporary data science allows for various countries to predict their climatic outcomes and, thus make plans to avert any risk on humans and livelihoods.
The Institute, thus, advises the VRA to “conduct a risk assessment of its operations including a simulation of flooding downstream in order to develop functional climate change plans to minimize flood impacts during controlled spillages.”
The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) was also urged to “also develop effective sensitization programmes directed at the chiefs and opinion leaders of affected communities to minimize destruction of property during controlled flooding.”
“Chiefs and opinion leaders should again be advised to encourage their subjects not to undertake any permanent infrastructural or major commercial activities closer to the banks of the Volta,” the release said.
The Frimpong-Manso Institute urged the various stakeholders to cease the “finger-pointing or apportioning blames for the current saddening situation in some parts of the Volta Region, particularly the South, Central and North Tongu districts. The Institute rather seeks to draw the attention of various stakeholders to ensure proactivity in future outcomes within the Akosombo Dam catchment area and the lower Volta Basin.”
The Frimpong-Manso Institute advised all to ensure “effective mitigation of current situation in affected areas and also devise adequate pre-planning for any future occurrence of the sort.”
Esther Nyantakyiwaa Akaba