Akosombo Dam Spillage Flood Victims In Mepe, Battor-Aveyime And Many Tongu Towns ‘Dying’ Of Hunger—MDA,Chiefs Call For Public Support
Freeman Koryekpor 
THOUSANDS of people living in many North Tongu communities on the bank of River Volta in the Volta Region are said to be suffering from severe hunger after the severe floods incidence following the current spillage of excess water from the Akosombo and Akuse Dams by the Volta River Authority (VRA) without proper prior notice to the residents.
According to the information from Mepe Development Association (MDA) and some concerned traditional office holders and youths of Meoe Traditional Area, children and the aged are the ones who have been affected the most.
The scores of traditional office holders and youths of Mepe in a media interview on Saturday October 14, 2023 revealed that, the Mepe town and its environs have been deserted by many, except the aged and children who are left to their fate.
They told Soireenews.com that, food stuffs are left to rot in various farms due to flooding and commented that the affected victims, particularly the aged and children are living in absolute hunger and fear describing the situation as ‘disturbing and heartbreaking.
"We can tell you for sure that Mepe town which has been worst hit of the current flood disaster and that the severe flood didn’t stop there, is a ghost town now, majority of the people are not living there, with the exception of children and the aged,” the traditional office holders recounted.
They lamented that scores of people including the mother of ten children have lost their possessions to the region’s worst flooding in decades.
Weeks of spillage of excess water from the Akosombo Dam by the Volta River Authority (VRA) and floods have affected million people in twenty-four (24) communities across the North Tongu District, killing hundreds of domestic animals, displacing tens of thousands and destroying many hectares of croplands.
The devastated floods have deepened severe food crisis in these 24 affected communities which are Gblornu, Klamadaboe,Vome, Sikor, Dzimakorpe, Memordzi, Aveyime, Battor, Mepe, Tornu Dorfor, Asimekope, Dorfor Kome, Dorfor London, and Afaode,Korsive,Sayikorfe, Husikorfe.
The rest are Titikorfe, Kodome, Tege kofe, Kwamla kofe and Abortia Sapa, Mepe- Dadome and Mepe- Degorme.
Investigations conducted by Soireesnews.com indicate that up to 55 percent of staple crops in flood-affected areas have been destroyed or are rotting in the fields.
Preliminary assessments by this news outlet suggest that drought and floods affected 75,500 hectares of farmlands, resulting in an estimated loss of 148,000 tonnes of crops, including maize, sorghum, pepper, okra, millet, peanuts, yam, cassava and rice.
"We are living in a critical and dangerous condition now and we don't have any assurance of living in these areas. What we need now is for the government of President Akufo-Addo to ensure that we have been evaluated from these flooding areas," the affected residents cried out.
Additionally in the press statement signed by the Chairman of MDA, Mr Kojo Mawulenu Fabian, the members of the Association have sypathised with the affected flood victims in Tongu towns, particularly in Mepe and described the current flood as the most dangerous natural disaster ever which has rocked the Mepe town since 1965.
Following this development, the Association called on the corporate institutions and philanthropists to immediately donates relief items to people in the communities which were rocked by the flood disaster.
The donations of items, the Association stressed has become necessary because the affected flood victims have been rocked with the severe food and water crisis and that they need an urgent humanitarian assistance from the corporate institutions and individuals.
According to the Association, it has taken notice of the spillage of excess water from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams by the Volta River Authority (VRA) leading to the Volta River overflowing its banks downstream
The Association lamented that the current development has led to the flooding of some communities along the banks of the river in the North,Central and South Tongu Districts in the Volta Region.
It noted that the floods disaster had affected the livelihoods of the people, reminiscent of the devastating effects of the first flooding disaster that occurred following the construction of the Akosombo Dam in 1965.
He reaffirmed that several thousands of homes have been submerged in the flood, destroying properties worth millions and leaving many homeless, adding that Mepe has been worst hit.
There is also a looming health crisis following the flooding of toilet facilities and refuse dumps.
The river has been heavily contaminated, leaving many who depend on its water for cooking, drinking and other domestic uses stranded.
Pipe-borne water has also been shutdown. There is wide spread power outage. The situation is dire.
The MDA is calling on government and its relevant agencies to speed up relief efforts to alleviate the plight of the people.
Food supplies, sachets and bottles of drinking water, temporary accommodation facilities, medical interventions, clothing are urgently needed to stem the situation from further aggravation.
"We are appealing for support from concerned individuals , organisations and other interested parties for the victims of the disaster in these trying moments.
"The downstream communities have been experiencing varied forms of ecological, economic, health and social crises since the construction of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams . We feel that, this is too much a price to pay for our sacrifice to power the nation.*
"We demand that, while in the immediate term, the humanitarian catastrophe is dealt with , in the medium to long term, the state agencies responsible for the problems the communities are facing, engage the people to find a people-centered solution to these enduring crises," the MDA in a statement copied to Soireenews.com noted.
The statement stressed that: "The MDA is pleased with the communal spirit and support exhibited so far by the youth and volunteers for the flood victims by saving lives and salvaging properties."
The statement added that "Let us continue to be each other’s keeper and keep faith alive. We shall overcome.
