River waves flood three communities in Ada

Over 300 residents of Azizanya, Kewunor, and Ayigboe, communities in Ada East, have been left homeless due to flooding in the communities following some waves emanating from the Volta River.

Lodges, drinking spots, and other business entities along the river bank have also been affected, with over 100 structures being submerged and properties destroyed.

The river, which has been overflowing its banks for three days now, has worsened the plight of inhabitants of communities along its banks after the spillage of the Akosombo dam, which displaced close to a thousand people in the latter part of 2023.

Mr Gabriel T. Akli, the Assembly member for Azizanya-Kewinor Electoral Area, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that, even though this was a regular occurrence, it has become intense.

Mr Akli said, “The communities have been facing this challenge, but not as strongly as this; we have noticed that after the Akosombo and Kpong dam spillages, the banks have been washed, exposing the communities to the waves of the river and the sea since they are close to the estuary.”

He said they were awaiting some promise from the Ada East District Assembly to help create an embankment to protect the communities.

He explained that because the Assembly was yet to have its presiding member elected, the convening of various committees had become a challenge, hindering them from putting their issues, including the flooding, before the Assembly for handling.

He suggested that the only solution to save the communities from the waves was to embank the river with sand.

Some of the affected residents told the GNA that they had lost their properties to the flood waters, indicating that their mattresses, clothing, smoked fish, utensils, cash, and other valuable items had all been washed away.

According to them, whenever the communities get flooded, people come to their aid with foodstuffs and sometimes mattresses, but they end up losing them to the floods.

They, therefore, appealed to organisations, the government, and individuals to help embank the river as a more permanent solution to their plight instead of the donations of items, which they said, even though important, was a temporary solution.

Source: GNA