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Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has revealed that the Volta River Authority (VRA) will be hauled before Parliament to answer questions over the spillage of the Akosombo Dam which has displaced many residents.
More than 30,000 residents along the Volta River have been displaced with properties running into millions of cedis destroyed.
Addressing journalists in Parliament on Tuesday, October 31, the Majority Leader emphasised that VRA must brief the House on what exactly happened and how to forestall future occurrences.
“I believe we may need to find some answers to some questions, and I guess the speaker is not yet here, but when the Speaker comes, we will have some discussions with him, and I believe it will be important for us to invite VRA to come and fully brief the House about what has happened, the repercussions, and how to avoid any future events,” he said.
He also noted that the loss of properties by the victims has contributed to the impoverishment of the people down south.
As a result, he added “as representatives of the people, we need to show concern. We need to have some dialogue with the Speaker to know what we will be able to do as a House to assist them.”
The Majority Leader also expressed concerns the flooding could have a serious impact on food security and worsen the country’s inflation woes.
“This year, thanks to the heavy downpour of rains, we were preparing ourselves for a bounteous harvest. Unfortunately, we had this inundation of farmlands and thanks to the massive rainfall and also the spillage of Akosombo Dam, that certainly is going to compound the food situation in the country and the hope is that it would not lead to skyrocketing food prices to add to the already high levels of food inflation in the country.”
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament has ordered a Parliamentary probe into the Akosombo Dam spillage.
According to him, it is unacceptable that an activity as potentially destructive as dam spillage was done without a well-thought-through security and safety preparedness plan.
This, he said, is a national assignment and Parliament should be seen as leading in finding solutions to this problem confronting the nation.
In this regard, he noted that “Parliament will take the necessary action to inquire into the matter and make recommendations for the protection of properties and lives living along the Volta Lake and other settlements along riverbeds.”
source: MyJoyonline.com
