President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will visit the districts severely hit by the floods occasioned by the spillage of the Akosombo Dam today.
The President, who returned to the country last night after a four-day official duty in the United States, will be joined by members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee set up by the government to help address the havoc caused downstream by the Akosombo Dam spillage and to help bring relief to those affected.
The tour will enable the President and the committee to assess the destruction caused by the flood and its effect on the people in the various communities.
The committee, headed by the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, is to coordinate government's response to the spillage.
Apart from assessing the impact of the floods at firsthand, the President is also expected to announce measures to bring relief to the flood victims in the North Tongu, Central Tongu and South Tongu districts in the Volta Region, communities lying along the Lower Volta Basin.
Sources at the Volta River Authority (VRA) said so far, five trucks of assorted items had been sent to the three worst affected districts.
The items include bags of rice, gari, maize, beans, sugar, gallons of oil, detergents, tissue, plastic buckets, bows, mattresses and blankets.
The source said more trucks were being prepared to undertake deliveries, adding that the next phase of intervention would be known after today's inter-ministerial committee briefing at Mepe.
The maximum level of water in the Akosombo Dam should be 276 feet, the VRA said.
As of last Thursday, October 12, 2023, the water level in the dam was 276.92 feet or 84.405 metres.
Before the spillage, the level was 272.50 feet or 83.058 metres.
From its website, the VRA said the level of water in the Akosombo Dam as of yesterday (October 15) was 277.24 feet or 84.503 metres, compared with 271.65 feet or 82.798 metres level of the lake at the same time last year (Saturday, October 15, 2022).
NADMO assures
The Deputy Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Seji Saji, gave an assurance that the organisation would continue to work around the clock in collaboration with VRA to bring immediate relief to the afflicted communities and individuals.
As of last Friday, the water levels in the affected areas and the iconic Sogakope Bridge showed little signs of dropping.
North Tongu
The North Tongu District Director of NADMO, Anthony Todzo, said the floods had now displaced 6,421 people at Mepe.