Dam spillage: 453 displaced victims, including people with disabilities, sleep on bare floors – Executive Chairman

The Executive Chairman of the 9-member committee overseeing the Safe Haven operations at St. Kizito Senior High School in Mepe, Volta Region, Mr Amanatey Dusi, has disclosed that 453 victims taking shelter at the school do not have mattresses.

Speaking exclusively to Class News' Volta Regional correspondent Kingsley Attitsogbui on Saturday,11 November 2023, Mr Dusi expressed concern that the victims, including those with disabilities, are forced to sleep on cloths, blankets, or the bare floor due to the lack of mattresses.

Mr Dusi indicated that out of the 536 victims currently at the St. Kizito Senior High School safe haven, only 83 people have mattresses, leaving 453 without mattresses.

He further revealed that while some people who have not been directly affected by floodwaters but vacated their houses for fear of flooding received mattresses, the real victims of the spillage of excess waterfrom the Akosombo Dam, who are physically challenged did not receive any.

Currently, there are seven physically challenged victims at the camp, with a total of 179 in Mepe, while other victims are staying with their families, necessitating equal distribution of relief items.

Mr Dusi raised concerns about community members joining the camp to benefit from relief items meant for the affected victims.

He appealed to stakeholders, including Traditional authorities in Mepe, the North Tongu District Assembly, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), and others, to intervene and ensure a fair distribution of relief items, particularly mattresses, to alleviate the challenges faced by the victims of the spillage.