By: Kekeli K. Blamey
A year after the devastating Akosombo Dam spillage, thousands remain displaced, their lives forever altered. Despite promises of relief, many continue to inhabit makeshift tents and classrooms, struggling to rebuild.
The Volta River Authority’s (VRA) decision to open the dam’s floodgates on September 15, 2023, may have averted catastrophe, but it unleashed a humanitarian crisis. Residents of Mepe and surrounding areas were left to pick up the pieces, their homes, livelihoods, and futures swept away.
Pregnant women like Madam Asumah Joan and 16-year-old Madam Esenam Morkli are among those still living in precarious conditions, denied access to vital antenatal care due to financial constraints. Farmers lament lost crops and pig farms, while traders and entrepreneurs mourn destroyed shops and homes.
Togbe Kwasi Nego, Mepe’s Mankralo, has issued a heartfelt appeal to the government to expedite compensation and restoration efforts. “We need swift action to revive our community,” he urged.
North Tongu District Chief Executive, Mr. Divine Osborne Fenu, assured that relief is forthcoming, but with hundreds still displaced, time is of the essence. The government’s 100-unit resettlement housing project, initiated in March, offers hope, but its completion cannot come soon enough.
As the anniversary of the disaster passes, the affected communities await tangible progress, their resilience tested by the long wait for recovery
