VRA cautions people building along river channels

The Volta River Authority (VRA) has engaged stakeholders within the Anloga District as part of its mandate to create awareness of possible dam spillage and its related issues.The Authority has appealed to District Assemblies, spatial planning authorities, and traditional authorities to help them regulate developments along water bodies, particularly along the Keta Lagoon to reduce any level of unexpected damage.Madam Akosua Owusu Effah, an engineer at VRA, explained during a meeting with the various stakeholders that the quantum of water to be released during this phase of spillage is 50.000 cubic feet per second (CFS).This, she said would remain in the river channel and that 'it will not cause much damage as compared to the 2023 spillage.'Engineer Owusu Effah further stated that the inundation was usually experienced in places where people have developed in the river channel.'What we are spilling this year may not cause damage as we saw last year, Low-lying areas particularly within the Keta Lagoon are highly susceptible to flooding from even natural phenomenons like heavy rains and high tides,'Mr Benjamin Arhin Sackey, the in-charge of Environment and Sanitation Development at VRA, in an appeal through the Ghana News Agency, asked for a proper regulation on how people put up structures along water bodies.According to him, most structures being heavily affected by the dam spillage were built in the low-lying areas along the river channel and are always affected by even high tides and rains.The engagement, held at the Keta Municipal Assembly Hall, was a joint meeting for both Anloga and Keta Districts that saw traditional authorities, assembly members, political leaders, artisans, journalists, and other stakeholders in attendance.VRA has been holding an annual stakeholder engagement since 2011 as part of its responsibilities to engage stakeholders in their activities, especially in places that may cause damage from a planned dam spillage or dam break.This year's engagement was premised on last year's dam spillage which submerged homes within South Tongu, Central, and North Tongu Districts including Keta and Anloga.Source: Ghana News Agency