The Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has rejected the term ‘safe haven’ used to refer to the camps erected for the thousands of victims of flood caused by spillage of water from the Akosombo and Kpong dams.
He said the make-shift camps erected by government to house the thousands of victims, most of whom are his constituents, are congested with no basic facilities like toilets.
“I have consciously refused to use the term ‘safe havens’,” he said on the floor of the House on Wednesday, November 8, 2023.
“It cannot be safe havens,” he stressed.
“They find a nice terminology so that they can cover the issues.”
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa expressed these sentiments about the plight of his constituents while contributing to a statement made by the Minister of Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, on the recent disastrous spillage of excess water from the Akosombo and Kpong dams.
Dr Opoku Prempeh justified the decision by the Volta River Authority (VRA), saying the “controlled spillage led to the preservation of lives, the Akosombo Dam and Sogakope Bridge”.
He further indicated that the VRA would spill again if need be.
“We are still observing the inflows and if it becomes necessary we will spill. If the VRA had not been proactive, the water would have overtopped the dam which would have had unimaginable catastrophe on the people,…spillage was the only option to ensure the safety of the dam.”
He also said victims have been housed in safe havens with donations going to them thick and fast.
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said the Minister was engaged in falsehood in his statement while making light of the plight of his constituents.
“There has been no mention of compensation,” he said.