A road and building engineer, Abdulai Mahama, says the government must consider the construction of irrigation dams downstream of the Akosombo Dam to control the level of havoc its spillage causes.
According to him, the irrigation dams would aid in holding water anytime the Volta River Authority (VRA) spilled water from the Akosombo Dam.
The VRA commenced the controlled water spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams on September 15, 2023, due to a consistent rise in the inflow pattern and water level of the Akosombo reservoir.
Thousands of residents in South Tongu, North Tongu, Central Tongu, Asuogyaman, and several other areas have had their homes submerged due to the spillage.
Speaking to Citi News, Mr. Mahama said critical measures must be put in place to manage the extent of damage in the future.
“When this spillage comes to a closure, we may have to look at alternative ways of redesigning the spilling channels so that if there might be major irrigation dams that will be constructed under lower streams, we will be able to contain quite a significant amount of water that will be spilled.”
“So that we will have some lives and properties saved when there is a need for us to do the spillage,” he stated.
Source: CitiNewsRoom
