The Public Relations Officer (PRO) for Ghana water company, Stanley Martey has said the company cannot be blamed over the flooding that led to the destruction of properties at Weija due to the dam spillage.
His comment comes after several homes were flooded as a result of the Weija dam spillage, leading many residents stranded.
Speaking with Kwaku Dawuro on Movement In The Morning Show, Mr. Martey said that ‘’before we spill, we warn residents of the havoc it will cause. This is something we do every year. I don’t understand why people are building around these areas, because they are aware of the impact of the spillage, I don’t understand why the people are not evacuating these places. The issue at Weija is as a result of putting up structures at unauthorized places and not the spillage. Our job ends at pre-informing the people about when we will spill, and that is where our jobs ends. The DCEs and MMDCs should be questioned- why are they allowing people to put up structures along the dam?’’.
He added that some treatment plant are not in operation. ”Some plants were not in operation but as we speak the plants in Upper West and Dalun that serves tamale are now working, but the plant at Akim Oda and Densuano are yet to be mounted. We are still working towards getting them back in operation-we might bring in new equipment or work with the old ones we have. The engineers are working all day so we can serve Ghanaians and restore water supply in Koforidua and its environs so the people can easily access water”, he added.
”One of the challenges we are currently facing is high production because 60% of our natural water bodies are polluted. Before the water gets to the end user, it goes through thorough processes, the high pollution is making production very high. If we are to add that as tariffs to consumers, it will create a lot of problem”, he indicated.
He added that Ghana is likely to loose its water bodies if we continue to pollute.
About Weija Dam Spillage.
The recent rains and the opening of spill gates for the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso, have caused havoc to water treatment plants in Ghana, this according to the Ghana water company has led to the spilling of dam to prevent the destruction of the water treatment plants. The dam is currently at a level of 49.5 feet as against the maximum operating level of 48 feet. Spillage normally begins when the level gets to 46.5 feet. Due to this, four spill gates have been opened to safeguard the integrity of the dam, save the dam from collapsing, and save lives and properties.