A total of 893 basic schoolchildren in the South Tongu district are now loitering at home after five basic schools were shut in the area in the wake of the floods situation in the area.
893 children are forced out of school by South Tongu floods.
The children, who have been forced to stay at home over mounting health and safety concerns, include 395 boys and 498 girls.
The affected schools are the Cuinberto RC Memorial Basic School at Sogakope, the Anaosukope PCG Primary School, the Sogakope RC Basic School, the Gonu Agbokopwe D/A Primary School and the Gonu RC Basic School.
The District Director of Education, Celestine Sewoenam Adzoa Korsi-Agordo, disclosed these at a meeting with officials of the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) at Sogakope last Friday.
She expressed fears of a possible disruption of the academic calendar of the schools, saying the education authorities were considering enrolling the children in different schools if the situation did not subside.
Part of the Cuinberto RC Basic School, Sogakope.
The District Director of Education said apart from the spillage from the Akosombo Dam which had caused water to submerge the schools; the washrooms of some of the school were now filled massively with faecal matter.
Mrs Korsi-Agordo said the condition was worse in some schools with KVIP toilets, raising very serious health concerns.
Antecedent
The Paramount Chief of Tefle Traditional Area, Togbe Nakakpo Dugbaza VIII, recalled how similar floods brought misery to the Tongu area in 1963 during the construction of the Akosombo Dam.
He said the feasibility studies into the construction of the Akosombo Dam did not take into consideration the impact the project would have on southern Volta Region.
Togbe Dugbaza blamed the present situation on what he described as the long failure of the VRA to take effective preventive measures against floods caused by the spillage from the dam.
He said it was necessary to dredge the Volta Estuary thoroughly to facilitate a swift flow of the excess water from the spillage into the sea.
Dam
For his part, the Deputy Chief Executive of the VRA, Kenneth Arthur, said the controlled spillage was meant to save the dam from collapsing to cause a greater national disaster.
He said there were indications that the floods would start receding in a week.
The Deputy Director-General of NADMO, Seji Saji Amedonu, gave an assurance that the organisation would continue to work around the clock in collaboration with the VRA to bring immediate relief to the afflicted communities and individuals.
As of last Friday, the water levels in the affected areas and the iconic Sogakope Bridge showed little signs of reduction.
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