Tema, other communities will be wiped into the sea if Akosombo dam breaks down – VRA

The Volta River Authority (VRA) has warned that nothing will be saved if the Akosombo Dam overtops its operational level.

It said it was for that reason it may have to continue spilling more water from the dam if its current level rises to avert any unforeseen catastrophe.

Edward Obeng Kenzo, Deputy Chief Executive of the VRA, explained that the dam’s current water level is at 277.26 feet, and its maximum operational level is 277.5 feet.

Speaking in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM on Monday, he indicated that though the Authority has no plans of spilling more water in the coming days, Mr Kenzo underscored that anything beyond the operational level of the dam would break it and lead to the entire wipeout of persons and structures along the bank of the Volta River.

“We don’t want to spill any additional volume of water. We are tracking and with the data, we believe that we may not spill any volume of water. But if there should be any unexpected heavy rains into the dam, we’ll be compelled to spill. Where we are now, we are around 277.26 feet of water behind the dam. The dam’s operational level is 276, the maximum allowable operational level of the dam is 277.5 feet.”

“So we are left with only about 0.24 feet to get to that maximum operational level of the dam. So any level beyond this, we are putting the dam’s integrity at risk. If the dam should break, the volume of water that will come out of the dam – all those along the banks of the river, all the way to somewhere around Tema will be wiped into the sea. No human being will be saved, no structure will be saved, nothing will be saved,” Mr Kenzo said.

The VRA commenced the controlled water spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong Dams on September 15, 2023, due to a consistent rise in the inflow pattern and water level of the Akosombo reservoir.

Thousands of residents in South Tongu, North Tongu, Central Tongu, Asuogyaman, and several other residents have had their homes submerged due to the spillage.