For days now di national disaster management organization (Nadmo) for Ghana don dey collaborate wit oda groups to evacuate hundreds of pipo wia floods don trap dem for dia homes.
Dis na afta di volta river authority (VRA) don spill excess water from di akosombo and kpong hydroelectric dams for di kontri.
Di situation don displace more than four thousand residents “in at least nine districts for di volta and eastern regions”, Nadmo deputy director general Sedzi Sadzi tok.
Im add say some of di most affected areas dey north tongu, central tongu and south tongu districts.
“For dis places, almost all di communities don submerge for flood waters, dia roads don cut off.”
Sedzi also explain say di organization “dey evacuate pipo to places dem select as shelter for di affected residents.”
Why VRA dey spill water from di dams
VRA tok say di spillage be necessary sake of “rains from upstream dey full di two dams.”
Even though di dams be hydroelectric, engineers for di authority say dem get capacity wia dey need to operate.
Na so if di water exceed di capacity of di dams, dem go fit collapse.
“Di spillage go ensure say we go safeguard di integrity of di dams,” di authority tok for one statement dem release.
VRA say dem begin di spillage on 15 September as dem witness say rains dey cause di water levels to rise.
“As time dey go, we dey spill small small, we go continue to spill sake of di water still dey fill di dam from upstream.”
VRA notify di residents about di spillage?
Even though di VRA tok say dem notify di residents along di volta basin about di spillage, local communities leaders say di notice be short.
Odas like Amos Mawunya wey dey live for di central tongu district of di volta region never hear about di notice.
“We don return from our farm wey we see say water enter our rooms,” Amos explain.
Im den im family no fit salvage anytin for di house.
Many odas don suffer di same fate for communities like mepe, battor, vume, tademe, dugame, aveyime, vui, asikome among odas.
Member of parliament for north tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa tok say di floods don scatter im constituency and di residents.
“E bi difficult for di residents as I dey see how dem dey struggle to salvage dia belongings in di floods.”
During im tour inside canoe, di MP tok say im distribute life jackets wia im make transportation arrangement for di victims to higher grounds.”
Im also tok say make di VRA “ensure say dem relocate all di affected pesin before dem go do another round of spillage.”
For di asuogyaman constituency for di eastern region, communities like kokonte kpedzi, abume, kudikope, ahenbrom all don dey affected.
Dia MP, Thomas Ampen Nyarko say di floods don scatter pipo dia livelihoods.
Im wan make Nadmo ensure “relief items reach di victims.”
Impact of di flooding
Apart from di homes and properties of residents wey spoil, schools, hospitals, power stations all dey affected.
Roads and bridges for di communities don scatter, na so pipo dey use canoes carry wetin lef of dia belongings.
Health facilities also dey suffer.
Komboni hospital manager for north tongu say di flood take over di facility.
Dem now dey worry say if di floods continue dia mortuary go be affected.
“We get over 250 bodies for di mortuary, we dey figure out how to transfer di bodies to another facility so say we no go get health crisis for here,” di manager tok.
Di hospital dey also try move patients wey dey on admission.
School buildings don collapse, no classes for pupils since di flooding start.
Di Ghana grid company (Gridco) also don shut down dia power substation for Sogakofe as a result of di floods.
For one statement Gridco tok say dem “shut down di substation for safety reasons to mitigate di risk of electrocution and loss of life.”
As di victims dey seek shelter for higher grounds dem no know how dia lives go bounce back afta say dem lose everything.
Also di VRA say dem go continue to spill di excess water until e don reach di level dem need.
For now ibi struggle for survival wit hope say goment go come to dia aid beyond say dem dey give dem mattresses, buckets and clothes.
One resident tok say “as far as we get life, we get hope.”
