By Jones Anlimah
The Volta Regional House of Chiefs has instituted a Disaster Relief Fund with an initial seed capital of fifty thousand Ghana cedis (GHS50,000) towards supporting victims of the Akosombo dam spillage. The aim is to rally support from the public, philanthropic organizations, and corporate entities to provide much-needed assistance to the affected victims.
It is estimated that over 20, 000 people have been affected in the flooding of communities along the Volta Lake. According to information the last time such flooding happened was in 1963 but the impact was not as severe as the current one due to population and societal growth.
Reports indicate that the most hardest hit community is Mepe located in the North Tongu District of the Volta region. The flooding has affected 30 communities in Central Tongu, 22 in South Tongu, 37 in North Tongu, about 10 communities in Keta Municipality, with 16 communities being affected in Anlo District. Some communities in North and South Dayi districts have also been affected.
The need for assistance and support from individuals, philanthropists and corporate ghana towards ameliorating the plight of affected victims is now key to their survival. To this end, the Volta Regional House of Chiefs in partnership with some media houses including Ghana Broadcasting Corporation’s Volta Star Radio at Ho, has also set up Relief Fund to help the victims of the floods.
At meeting by the Standing Committee Members of the House to announce the launch of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs Disaster Relief Fund, the President of the house, Togbe Tapre Hodo said the flooding, which has wreaked havoc in several areas, has left countless individuals and families in dire need of relief and support. According to him, the establishment of the fund underscores the commitment of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs to help alleviate the suffering of those impacted by the devastating consequences of the dam spillage.
“The Volta Regional House of Chiefs itself is donating an amount of 50,000 Ghana cedis to serve as the seed fund for the establishment of the Disaster Fund. We have also taken up the additional steps to open a bank account at the Ghana Commercial Bank, Ho main branch. The account number is 5011180003678.” he disclosed.
“We are inviting all philanthropic organizations, agencies, well-wishers and the Diplomatic community to assist in this endeavour. If you watch some of the video about the floods making the rounds, you will appreciate the enormity of the problem.”, Togbe added while making an apeal.
The Paramount Queen mother of Mafi Traditional Area in the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region, Mama Sename recounted the devastating experience and called for help, especially towards women and children. “There are some areas even though is a road that use vehicles, this time they are using two canoes because you have to cross two rivers before you get to the community. And these are life-threatening situations. We need clean water because the water sources around the communities are contaminated and they are not good. So we are appealing to philanthropists to come to our aid.” Mama Sename said.
According yo the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, the Disaster Relief Fund is a testament to the region’s resilience and determination to stand united in times of crisis.
