North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described the comment by Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Freda Prempeh, to the effect that the people of Mepe and other areas affected by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam refused to be evacuated, as a blatant lie and an insult to the people.
Mr Ablakwa dared the Minister to point to areas that were earmarked for the people to be evacuated to that they refused to go.
“These Akufo Addo ministers should stop adding insult to injuries, we are pained, depressed, and devasted, they should stop these things,
“We have had enough of their blatant lies, she should tell us when and the date. When did they come here? She herself, has she come here before? The people should move to where?
“She should show us where it was constructed for my people to move to that they refused to go. Was it the Military, NADMO, or who?” He said on the Ghana Tonight show on TV3 Monday.
He further said the Members of Parliament in the affected areas are going to file a motion in parliament for a full investigation into the disaster.
“We are filing a motion for a full scale probe, it will be live on television, and we will know exactly what happened. All these blatant lies will be exposed. The officials who caused this will face to the law and we will demand full compensation.”
The Sanitation Minister, while making the comments said “We don’t want what has happened in Akosombo to happen to us in Accra. The Akosombo spillage, even though VRA, NADMO, and the Water Resouces Commission came together to educate the people in the community, did a simulation exercise at Mepe, yet they refused to leave, they didn’t want to be evacuated, they stayed there till the end when we started spilling.”
“Unfortunately, look at what is happening, the government has to spend millions of money on relief items, the whole area the water is contaminated, and Ghana Water Company and Water Resources Commission will have to spend millions of money to treat the water before we can thrust into our pipes. So a stitch in time saves nine, “she said during the accounting to our customer/Media press bringing in Accra on Monday, October 23.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) earlier revealed that it has rescued about 12,000 persons from 13 October 2023 to date in the flood disaster in Mepe and other parts of the Volta Region.
GAF indicated that as of Sunday, October 22, the flood situation in Mepe, the community that was heavily affected by the spillage has been brought under considerable control.
GAF said this while dismissing reports claiming that military personnel deployed to Mepe for Humanitarian Relief Operations were withdrawn.
This was after North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa indicated that the soldiers had been asked to leave the community.
“Who ‘above’ has given orders to the military detachment helping us cross flood waters to immediately withdraw when the water levels haven’t receded and when thousands of lives are at stake in camps across these waters?”
“Who in government is behind this utter cruelty?” He tweeted.
But in another tweet, Mr Ablakwa said “I just received a call indicating that the order has been reversed and that the soldiers have been directed to return with their boats and resume duty.
“Soon, we shall fish out those faceless, unpatriotic elements.”
Reacting to this development in a statement, the GAF stated categorically that “the information in circulation is inaccurate and that the personnel have not been given any ‘orders from above’ to withdraw from Mepe or any other community affected by the spillage, contrary to the social media posts.
“It must be emphasised that the Humanitarian Relief Operations (Operation Boafo), being
conducted by the Ghana Navy’s Riverine Command and the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Army is being executed in phases. As of 22 October 2023, the situation in Mepe has been brought under considerable control and therefore it became necessary to urgently redeploy some personnel and equipment to other distressed communities around Battor and its environs, which were in dire need of support.
“Following the deployment of additional personnel and equipment to these distressed communities, the operations being conducted have been varied to suit the evolving situation. It must be placed on record that for the purpose of this operation, GAF has established an Emergency Operations Centre which is coordinating all the GAF activities in a harmonised manner in conjunction with NADMO.
“Currently, personnel of the Naval Riverine Command and the Army’s 48 Engineer Regiment are still deployed and conducting the relief operations (Operation Boafo) in accordance with the exigencies of the situation, at Mepe, Battor, Sogakope, Adidome, Aveyime, New Bakpa, Big Ada, Ada Foah and the surrounding communities.These personnel are equipped with 10 Naval Boats and four (four) Engineer Assault Boats. From 13 October 2023 till date, GAF has rescued about 12,000 persons.”