Accra: Madam Esi Boni-Morkla, an official at the National Level Learning Alliance Platform (NLLAP), has called for collaboration and planning among stakeholders to find a lasting solution to floods from the Kpong and Akosombo Dams. She stressed the need for District Assemblies, the National Disaster Management Organisation, engineers, and civil society organisations to come together to formulate plans to avert water spillage at the catchment areas of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams.

According to Ghana News Agency, Madam Boni-Morkla made the call during an overview presentation on Akosombo and Kpong Dams spillage at the 104th edition of the National Level Learning Alliance Platform (NLLAP) meeting held in Accra. The meeting’s theme was ‘Emergency WASH Interventions during the Flood from Kpong and Akosombo Dam Spillage.’ It was organised by the Resource Centre Network Ghana in collaboration with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and partners.

Madam Boni-Morkla highlighted several critical measures ne
eded to prevent disasters, including early warnings, intensification of climate change education, resilience and sustainability planning, and emergency preparedness and response. She also emphasized the importance of reviewing national and regional WASH emergency preparedness and response plans, enhancing coordination and collaboration among all partners, intentional budgetary allocation for emergencies, and enforcing laws to mitigate future risks.

She recounted that the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong Hydroelectric Dams began on September 15, 2023, due to heavy rains, leading to a significant increase in the water volume of the two dams, a situation described as ‘controlled spillage.’ The spillage resulted in flooding across districts such as North Tongu, Central Tongu, South Tongu, Shai Osuduku, Asuogyaman, Keta, Ada West, Anlo, Lower Manya, Ada East, and Ketu South, impacting more than 35,000 people who suffered loss of livelihoods, disruption of education, and displacement.