A flooded portion of the communtiy

Residents of Vome, a farming community in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region and surrounding communities fear the devastating effect of the Akosombo Dam spillage could lead to famine in the area that could spread across other parts of the country.

The area is home to the cultivation of important crops such as cassava, maize, pepper, groundnuts and other staple crops.

And, a large quantity of these crops were destroyed as a result of the spillage that caused similar or even greaterwreckage to other communi­ties along the banks of the river.

Over a month after the exercise to save the Akosombo Dam, Ghana’s largest hydro power generating plant, residents of Vome and its neighbour­ing communities have been rendered jobless.

They have been robbed of their daily farming activities and are cur­rently surviving on the benevolence of individual donors and organisa­tions.

But of greater concern to the inhabitants of the area, mostly farmers, is a fore seen food short­age to hit the area and its impact on Ghana’s food basket,with cassava and maize especially being one of Gha­na’s agricultural mainstay.

Speaking to The Spectator on their behalf by the Assembly Member for the VomeElectoral Area, Mr Gabriel Kwame Wetsi confirmed, that a lot of farm produce like cassava, maize, pepper groundnuts and other staples were destroyed by the flood waters.

To him, the danger lies with the period it might take for the water to recede for farming activities to resume.

“This might lead to famine in some few months because even if the water recedes, it will take about six months to a year for the land to regain its fertility before we can start growing crops,” he said.

“This would obviously create a food shortage in the country because what it means is that the maize, cassava and other sta­ples from this region will not come and would put pressure on those from the other regions,” he said.

Until the water recedes for the farmers to return to their farms, MrWetsi urged the government to support the people in the Vome area and its surrounding towns, since they have all lost their livelihood.

One of the community elders, Dzikpuitor Daniel Kuleke who engaged The Spectator on its tour of the area, said thewater they use for their daily activities was no longer safe for use, explaining that the spill­age had washedaway theirplaces of convenience and other properties.

He said the stagnant water in the area were breeding a lot of mos­quitoes,pointing out that it was no longer safe to stay outside after 5pm.

He therefore appealed to corporate bodies, individuals and government to come to their aid with drinking water, food items and clothing to help them survive, until they are able to return to their normal lives.

One of the affected victims, Georgina Wetsisaid “I am currently sleeping in someone’s house togeth­er with my children. I have lost my home which has six rooms as well as my farm.”

 From Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu, Vome