Koforidua: Volta River Authority (VRA) has raised red flags over rising, unregulated developments along the Volta River, warning that such activities are worsening flood risks and undermining national emergency preparedness for the Akosombo and Kpong Dams.
According to Ghana News Agency, escalating construction of homes, resorts, and commercial facilities along the Volta River is putting lives, investments, and national infrastructure at serious risk. The caution was sounded at a workshop on this year's Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP), held in Koforidua.
Delivering a welcome address, Mrs. Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, the Eastern Regional Minister, stressed that emergency preparedness is critical for a region hosting key national assets. 'The safety of our people and the protection of our environment must remain paramount,' she stated, warning that disasters 'have a very negative effect on our economy.'
Providing technical insight, Mr. Abdul Noor Wahab, the Director of Water Resources and Renewable Energy at VRA, explained that international best practice requires robust emergency planning for large dams such as Akosombo. 'There are two main emergency situations, when we have to spill because of excess inflows, and the unlikely but high-impact event of a dam break,' he said.
Mr. Wahab noted that settlements both upstream and downstream are increasingly vulnerable due to encroachment into high-risk zones. 'People are even developing inside the water bodies, and this poses risks to themselves and their investments,' he said, adding that VRA's goal is to ensure stakeholders 'appreciate the risks we are exposed to.'
As part of this year's engagement, VRA unveiled a simplified two-page EPP, using infographics to make emergency procedures clearer to district authorities, security agencies, and community leaders. 'In two pages, you can understand all the key things we are supposed to do,' Mr. Wahab explained.
He clarified that building permits are issued by the District Assemblies, not the VRA, but warned that illegal developments in flood-prone areas would not attract compensation. 'We are not at the stage of compensation. We are highlighting risks so nobody will be in harm's way,' Mr. Wahab said.
In a presentation, Ms. Akosua Owusu Efaa, Senior Engineer at the VRA, outlined emergency phases ranging from controlled spills to catastrophic dam failure, stressing the need for early warning, clear communication, and known safe havens. 'Lots of people do not even know what safe havens are in their communities,' she noted.
The VRA also raised environmental concerns, citing illegal sand winning, deforestation, and farming within the 280-ft buffer zone, which are degrading water quality and increasing flood impacts. 'If you build within the high watermark, you won't be compensated,' officials cautioned.
The Authority called for stronger collaboration with district assemblies, planners, and traditional landowners to halt risky developments and safeguard lives downstream of the most strategic dam assets.