A fellow at the Civil Engineering Division of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, Joseph Oddei has said engineers cannot be blamed for the flooding caused by the spillage of the Akosombo dam.
On Adom FM Burning Issues, Mr. Oddei told host, Akua Boakyewaa Yiadom that the impact of the flooding could have been mitigated if only the residents had not encroached on lands close to the dam.
“People proceed to build houses without complying with the due process of their District Assembly. Most of the houses around the dam don’t have permits; if they had gone through the necessary process before buying their lands, I’m sure they would have known that it is not safe to live there,” he said.
Some Ghanaians have blamed the Volta River Authority (VRA) for not being proactive in its operations, particularly the spillage of excess water from the Akosombo dam which has resulted in the loss of properties and livelihoods.
But according to Mr. Oddei, his colleagues have been risking their lives to work as expected.
“At times we talk anyhow in this country; they should go there and see how my colleagues are working over there. Let’s escort you to the dam and where the turbines are; you will not go there again. Why are people pointing fingers at engineers? What have we done?” he fumed.
Mr. Oddei therefore cautioned Ghanaians to be measured in their comments about the devastation and stop blaming engineers.
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