Member of Parliament for Kwahu Afram Plains South, Hon. Joseph Appiah Boateng has stated that the people of Afram Plains South have been left unnoticed since their enclave was affected by the Akosombo dam spillage.
This follows one of the trending issues in the country, where there has been a spillage of water from the Akosombo Dam, leading to floods in some communities in the Volta and Eastern regions. Among these communities are Mepe, Afram Plains, Battor, Sogakope, Mafi, Adidome, and Ada, among others.
Speaking in an interview on UniversAkan, Hon. Boateng mentioned that this year’s spillage has affected them badly as compared to the previous years and has left the people in distress. All properties including buildings have been wiped off by the spillage, but the government and the public have not noticed their circumstances.
“The spillage has affected the majority of the people. When you cross the Afram River, the next town is (Akyea) Amanfrom, the river overflew its bank. This has brought hardship to the people. Even the government and the general public have directed their attentions to only the Voltarians.”
He continued to talk of his plight by mentioning visit to NADMO’s head office in Accra to seek their support several times, his efforts were left futile.
“I went to NADMO’s head office in Accra several times but it was only yesterday, 26th October that I received the director general’s contact. He couldn’t answer when I called so I sent him messages including pictures and videos of the situation and the reply I received was noted.”
Hon. Boateng further stated that the network in the community was very poor, making it hard to reach out to the people. He explained that he resorted to using a boat to the town only to realize that their situation was out of hand.
“The point of internet connection was flooded and it was difficult to reach out to the people so we decided to visit other communities on the Island by boat, but we realized that the people were in extreme hardship. The spillage was impromptu so a woman who recently gave birth had her things washed away leaving only some few torn clothes. When I saw the situation, I knew I couldn’t do it alone unless I depend on common funds given to every MP in the discharge of their duties but these funds don’t come.”
He finally besieged every individual, organization, and stakeholder to come to their aid.
“I plead with everyone to come into our aid with relief items, sachet water, food, torn clothes, mattresses, and anything that can be of help to the people. The items can be relayed to Radio Univers on the Legon campus or contact us at (0244916030).”
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Story by: Esther Asantewaa | univers.ug.edu.gh
