Mepe Citizens Demand Action After Devastating Akosombo Dam Spillage
At a crowded press conference held on Thursday August 8, 2024 at Mepe, the residents recalled that on October 2, 2023, the VRA commenced the spillage, affecting numerous communities downstream, including Torgome, Fodzoku, Dorfor, Volo, Battor, Mepe, Mafi Adidome, and various others along the Volta River.
Freeman Koryekpor 
THE Concerned citizens of the Mepe Traditional Area in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region have broke silence by voicing their frustration and demands following the devastating spillage of water from the Akosombo Dam reservoir by the Volta River Authority (VRA).
At a crowded press conference held on Thursday August 8, 2024 at Mepe, the residents, the residents recalled that on October 2, 2023, the VRA commenced the spillage, affecting numerous communities downstream, including Torgome, Fodzoku, Dorfor, Volo, Battor, Mepe, Mafi Adidome, and various others along the Volta River.
They lamented that the three Tongu Districts—North Tongu, Central Tongu, and South Tongu—were particularly hard hit, with Mepe being the epicenter of the disaster.
According to them, the initial announcements from the VRA downplayed the impact, suggesting that the spillage would affect no more than a hundred individuals.
However, they pointed out that within 24 hours, about 60% of houses in Mepe were flooded.
They further lamented that many residents returned from their farms only to find their homes inaccessible and valuable properties, including livestock, unsalvageable due to the rapid flooding.
They detailed that the disaster left most of Mepe submerged, destroying buildings, farms, and animals.
The citizens accused the VRA and government authorities of negligence and indifference.
Despite claims of conducting simulation exercises, the residents complained the VRA's top officials have not provided adequate support or plans for the affected households.
Moreover, they pointed out that the Ministry for Sanitation and Water Resources, which advised relocation, has not visited the flood victims even eleven months after the incident.
They asserted that the residents continue to suffer from the aftermath, with thousands of houses, crops, and livestock destroyed.
They indicated that the government has yet to compensate the flood victims, many of whom are now homeless and living under makeshift canopies.
The citizens alleged that the spillage seemed deliberately calculated and executed without sufficient contingency plans.
They noted that for over 200 years, the people of Mepe lived in harmony with the River Volta.
The annual flooding replenished soil fertility, contributing to agricultural yields, while the community engaged in oyster picking, fishing, and hunting.
However, since the test run of the Volta Dam, such catastrophic flooding had not been experienced until now.
The community's sources of livelihood have been severely impacted, leading to out-migration and ongoing health challenges.
Relief items promised by the VRA and central government have not materialized beyond an initial, inadequate supply.
The citizens praised the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency, Honourable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, for his efforts in mobilizing resources and support for the victims.
In light of the circumstances, the concerned citizens are calling for the government to declare the area a disaster zone and implement serious measures to alleviate the suffering.
Their demands include: immediate action to fix the Aklakpa River bridge.provision of safety canoes for school children, improvement of access roads and drainage systems, addressing health challenges caused by polluted water bodies, adequate compensation for lost properties, farms, and livestock, speedy construction of promised housing units, Waiver of electricity bills for affected households from October 2023 to March 2024.
On the issue of broke steel bridge at Mepe-Sayikope-Aklakpanu, the residents complained bitterly that this is the only lifeline linking North and Central Tongu Districts.
They indicated that it was eight months now the steel bridge across River Aklakpa at Mepe-Sayikope, connecting Juapong to Adidome Tagazi collapsed under the weight of a heavy-duty truck.
For now, they complained that all motorists had been directed to detour through Dadome, to Adidome in the Central Tongu District, and then to Juapong.
"We are saying the Aklakpa Bridge is crucial for their community, because human activities, especially business, has come to a standstill since it collapsed.
"The lives of people including over 300 school children from surrounding communities risk their lives daily by crossing the River Aklakpa to access education in Sayikope, Mepe township and Dadome due to the collapse of the bridge.
"Following this situation, we the concerned citizens of Mepe are calling on government to take immediate action to fix the Aklakpa River bridge.
"We are also stressing the urgent need for the central government and VRA to provide safety canoes to be used by school children from surrounding communities to cross the river to to access education in order to safeguard the heart threatening situation in the area," they explained.
The citizens stressed the need for concrete data to ensure proper support for those directly and indirectly affected by the flood.
They also urged the government and VRA to honor their promises and take swift action to prevent future disasters.
The press conference concluded with a plea for immediate and effective intervention to restore the community and safeguard their future.
