Dr Archibald Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, has said a crunch meeting among major actors in combating the effect of the spillage of the Akosombo Dam and matters arising is scheduled for Battor on Monday. He said the meeting would among others, fashion a blueprint on how best to coordinate humanitarian and relief gestures to the affected victims in the three Tongu districts, North, Central and South. He said traditional leaders, Members of Parliament, political leadership, Assemblies and some notable individuals and institutions are expected to participate. Various people and institutions are receiving relief on behalf of the people, which needed to be well-coordinated to derive the utmost utility and the purpose for donating such items. He said apart from the relief, cheques were also being received on behalf of the people and ‘all these must be streamlined for equity and accountability purposes.’ The Minister said the Emergency Operation’s Centre at Battor should be the key receptacle to build all data into the receivables and re-channel items to benefit all affected communities. He disclosed there are two warehouses at Adidome and Sogakope to store humanitarian and relief items. Dr Letsa said, ‘if caution is thrown to the wind, some communities will be marginalised in receiving relief as the inflow is favouring some districts at the expense of others.’ He thanked state institutions playing key roles in bringing some comfort to the affected victims and praised Ghanaians in general for rising to the task of raising support to assuage the difficulties of the people in the enclave. Some more than 31,000 people are displaced and staying in 20 safe havens across the three districts needing humanitarian interventions emanating from the spill of the Dam by the Volta River Authority since September 15 till date. This has forced out people from their abodes and now displaced and seeking support. Support from water, food, medicine, mosquito nets, cooking utensils, beddings, buckets among others, though supplied, are still insufficient and calls are going out to all and sundry to extend warmth to these victims.
Source: Ghana News Agency
