President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has told the people of Mepe and other areas in the Volta Region hit by the Akosombo Dam leakage that he will not desert them in these hard times.

Mr Akufo-Addo stated that he is president for all Ghanaians, regardless of whether they voted for him.

The President assured the chiefs and people of Mepe and other towns in the Volta Region’s North, South, and Central Tongu areas, which are strongholds of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), that the government will do everything in its power to alleviate their plight.

On Monday, October 16, he told them, “When I took the oath of office as president, I took the oath of office as president for every single individual in Ghana, of all the people in Ghana, of all districts whether they voted for me or not, once I have taken the oath of office, I am the president of all the people.”

“So Togbe, you and your elders, I want you to understand that when something like this happens and the government acts government is acting for Ghanaians.

“I came here because Ghanaians are having difficulties and suffering and it is my responsibility to try and help. If it is the question of counting who votes for me and who doesn’t vote for me  I shouldn’t be here because you don’t vote for me but that is not my concern.

“I came here this afternoon to express my sympathies and to commiserate with all the people in the Mepe area, I chose Mepe because this is the area that has been most affected.

“We have to also be very grateful for the work of VRA, the preparation they have been making over the years in such a situation, the simulation exercise, and all the things they have been doing to prepare for this including the sensitization. Because of the good that they have done up until now, by the grace of God,  not one single individual has lost his life in this crisis,” he said.

He stressed, “Whatever it is within the powers of the government that can be done to alleviate this situation, it is going to be done.”

Flooding has harmed children’s education, health, mobility, housing, and food access in affected areas.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) began spilling excess water on September 15, 2023, due to rising levels of the Akosombo and Kpong hydro dams, causing widespread destruction and displacement in seven (7) districts in the Volta Region, including the South, Central, and North Tongu Districts.

Thousands of inhabitants have been forced to flee, leaving their homes, farmlands, and assets swamped in floodwaters.

The VRA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, stated that the lake was experiencing higher-than-expected inflows, hence the spilling will continue.

“We are on phase II [of the spillage] right now and it is a cycle. It is normal at this time of the year for us to experience inflows. The difference is that we are getting more than expected and to safeguard this dam means that we have to spill water, that is the standard operation for any hydro dam, but the inflows that we are seeing now are in excess.

“Definitely, as the cycle goes through this will recede, so we are hoping it will recede in the next few days,” he told journalists on Thursday, October 12.

“The spilling may continue even though we are anticipating that the levels may drop down to phase 1, which was started on September 15 but of course, we did not have much excess as we are seeing now, this is an emergency as we have seen from the beginning.

“Whether dredging or no dredging it is an emergency. The volume of water that is coming into the lake right now which we have to throw out, it means that we need to evacuate people from wherever they are to ensure they are safe until the inflows recede,” he added.

The VRA was accused of ignoring its obligations in the Lower Volta Basin, which resulted in the devastating floods caused by spilling from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams.