A victim of the Akosombo dam spillage said he lost around 1.5 to 1.8 million Ghana cedis

A victim of the Akosombo Dam spillage, which occurred between October 10 and 15, 2023, has revealed that he lost nearly GH¢1.8 million as a result of the disaster.

“I lost almost about 1.5 to 1.8 million Ghana cedis,” he said.

In a report by JoyNews, the victim recounted that he had invested heavily in thriving snail and aquaculture farms spread across two locations along a riverbank. Just as his business began to flourish, disaster struck.

With assistance from a local NGO, he managed to restart his venture, this time focusing on aqua farming on a five-acre piece of land. However, the support he received was far from sufficient.

“They gave me four bottles of okro seeds, one cutlass, one hoe, and GH¢100. That’s what I struggled with,” he said.

After installing irrigation systems to support his new crops, yet another crisis emerged, drought. Without adequate funds to fuel his water pumps, he now watches helplessly as his crops begin to wither.

“Right now, I have no money to buy fuel to pump water for my farm,” he lamented.

The Chief of Bakpa, Togbe Sakpiti, and his business associates were also affected by the floods.

“I invested more than GH¢60,000, and unfortunately, we were just about to harvest when the flood hit. It wasn’t good at all,” he said.

Months after the disaster, many victims are yet to receive any compensation from the government or the Volta River Authority (VRA), despite repeated appeals.

For now, victims continue to hold on to hope, that help will eventually come, and they will be able to rebuild what was lost.

DR/MA