Hundreds of homes in parts of Weija in Accra have been submerged following a controlled spillage of the Weija Dam, leaving many residents stranded and forcing others to flee their homes.
The flooding comes after Ghana Water Limited (GWL) confirmed it had begun releasing excess water from the dam due to rising water levels that exceeded safe operating limits, raising concerns of a possible overflow.
However, the Director of Communications at Ghana Water Limited, Stanley Martey, has clarified that the spillage is not the main cause of the flooding in affected communities.
According to him, the situation has been worsened by heavy rainfall and human activities along waterways.
“The dam spillage has not caused the flooding. What we are seeing is the result of the heavy rains we’ve had. Even we are surprised at how some of these places have been flooded,” he said on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem.
Mr. Martey explained that many residents have encroached on buffer zones and waterways, which has worsened the impact of the rains.
“Some people have built in buffer zones where they are not supposed to put up structures. Others are even filling up river bodies and building on them,” he stated.
He stressed that Ghana Water Limited has been managing the dam carefully and has been carrying out controlled spillage since last year.
“We have been spilling the dam since last year. The dam has been opened throughout. So what we are seeing this year is not because of the spillage, but the heavy rains,” he explained.
Mr. Martey cautioned the public not to ignore the situation, stressing the need for proper environmental practices.
“We need not joke with this issue,” he warned.
He added that the spillage is a controlled safety measure to prevent the dam from overflowing, not an emergency release causing flooding downstream.
“It is not about the dam. The dam has already been opened in a controlled manner,” he said.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation as displaced residents call for urgent relief and long-term solutions to recurring flooding in the area.
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