The Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has made a donation of relief items to the victims of the flooding in Lower Volta.
Approximately 30,000 residents from communities along the Lower Volta Basin were displaced due to the spillage of the Akosombo Dam by the Volta River Authority.
Floodwaters reached the roof levels in communities within the North Tongu, Central Tongu, and South Tongu Districts in the Volta Region. Additionally, the floods displaced people in North Dayi, South Dayi, Keta, and parts of the Anlo district.
Mr. Ahiagbah, in his personal capacity, presented 55 bags of rice, 15 bags of powdered soap, 10 boxes of Geisha soap, 20 boxes of noodles, and several boxes of sanitary towels to help alleviate the plight of the flood victims.
He expressed condolences to the community’s leadership and commended them for establishing a Central Relief Administration Committee to coordinate the distribution of relief items.
“You’re doing a commendable job, and it’s excellent that you’ve established the Central Relief Administration Committee to facilitate the distribution of relief items,” Mr. Ahiagbah told the District Chief Executive (DCE).
He also urged the local assembly to become actively involved in the “rebuilding efforts” to ensure proper coordination.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Central Relief Administration Committee, which was set up for effective management, Divine Osborn Fenu, the DCE for North Tongu, informed Mr. Ahiagbah that the relief administration process had faced challenges, with some individuals attempting to donate directly to the victims without going through the central relief administration committee. This, he said, created difficulties in achieving fair and even distribution of aid.
Mr. Fenu also added that the victims had been advised not to return to their homes in communities where the floodwaters had receded until their buildings had been fumigated, disinfected, and checked for structural integrity.
“We have warned the victims not to return to their homes. We don’t think it is safe yet until their homes have been fumigated and disinfected, and the structural integrity of the buildings has been verified,” he said.
He emphasized the need for a strategic plan to redirect the course of the Akosombo Dam overflow into purposeful ventures like farming, with the hope of preventing a recurrence of flooding of this magnitude.
