Accra, Sept. 4, GNA - Heavy and consistent rain in the northern half of the country might lead to a rise in the level of water in the Volta Dam at Akosombo, a senior meteorologist said in Accra on Monday. This was because the main catchment areas of the dam were in the northern part of the country and Burkina Faso, Mr Amos Narh, Senior Meteorologist of the Meteorological Agency at the Kotoka International Airport, told the GNA in an interview.
He said the level of water in the dam would, however, require a lot of rainfall to get back to normal since it took a long time for the level to drop to that point.
Touching on the prospects of the level rising as a result of the minor raining season, which is from September to October, Mr Narh said we could bank our hopes on the season adding that if it rained well in the north, the situation could get better.
=93It is very possible we will have some water entering the dam,=94 he said, but pointed out that this could only happen if the rains were heavy in the north.
Mr Narh said the situation was not all that gloomy since the minor rainy season sometimes had rains that were as heavy as or even heavier than the main one.
He said climatic changes due to activities such as destruction of the forest had led to rising temperatures causing much less rainfall than in the past.
Mr Narh said during those years, there could sometimes be so much rain which made it necessary for water to be spilled from the dam. He said since trees conserved moisture necessary for rainfall, it was important that forests were reclaimed.
On the rainfall for next year, Mr Narh said it was too early to predict the pattern, adding that a report on that would be available during the later part of the year.
VRA and ECG instituted a load management programme from August 28 because of the drop in the water level of the Volta Lake as a result of lower than normal inflows into the feeder tributaries of the Volta Lake. The inflows of water into the Volta Reservoir so far this year have been below average.
A statement issued by the two companies said: 93At present the VRA relies on the Volta Reservoir to produce over 60 per cent of its power from the Akosombo and Kpong generating stations, the balance of which is supplied from the thermal plants at Aboadze and via imports from Cote d'Ivoire.
"Currently, all the available units at the Aboadze Thermal Plant complex are running at full capacity fired by light crude oil, the price of which is very high and continues to rise. The use of expensive crude oil has the potential of impacting on tariffs.
=93Consequently, with only a few weeks left of the major rainy season, the VRA and ECG have instituted a load management programme to optimise the use of the available water in the Volta Reservoir to bring the Lake to an appreciable level to restore normal production between now and throughout next year (2007). This is expected to forestall any undue drawdown of the Volta Reservoir.
"It is expected that these measures will lead to a rise in the level of the Akosombo Reservoir and make available cheaper hydropower to blend with the expensive crude oil fired thermal power for the benefit of customers."
The Government has meanwhile directed all heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) to adopt energy efficient management systems during operational hours to reduce expenditure on power consumption and assist in meeting the targets of the ongoing load management programme.
A statement signed by Mr Kwamena Bartels, Minister of Information and National Orientation, said air conditioners and cooling units should only be switched on between 1000 hours and 1600 hours while all electrical appliances should be used minimally.
It said Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, Chief of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs, on the directions of President John Agyekum Kufuor, has directed that natural light should be used as much as possible with curtains and blinds opened to allow sunlight into office buildings wherever practicable.
=93All electric lights should be switched off during daylight working hours. If it becomes necessary to switch on lights during working hours, all lights, with the exception of those vital for security, must be switched off at the close of work.=94 The statement said Government would hold all heads of institutions fully and personally responsible for ensuring compliance with the directive.
It said the programme of installing more energy efficient compact lamps in institutional buildings in order to reduce energy consumption would continue and urged members of the public to adopt similar measures in their homes.
The Government appealed to industries to conserve and use energy efficiently and arrange production plans in a manner that would optimize the use of energy. 4 Sept. 06
