Dam spillage: Lack of centralized distribution of relief items disturbing – MP

The Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman, Thomas Ampem Nyarko has called on the government to centralize the distribution of relief items to victims of Akosombo Dam Spillage.

Speaking on Morning Starr with Francis Abban Morning, the lawmaker stated that a centralized approach for the distribution of relief items to the victims will help all affected areas.

“In the heat of this everybody is trying to help their people, so I am doing mine here, Okudzeto is doing his there, and I am sure the DCEs are also doing their part. If the government does not centralize things and coordinate you wouldn’t expect that my colleague Okudzeto will get some items and say this percentage should go to Asuogyaman when all his problems haven’t been solved.

“Somebody higher will have to do that but that is not what we are seeing. We have been left to fight our fight and so that’s the result of what we are seeing now. Understandably, everybody will want to go where the problem is most serious. So you see everybody directing their support and efforts to the center of the problem,” Mr. Ampem Nyarko stated.

He however added that he is expecting some support and others have promised to bring him some relief items.

“So we will be receiving that probably around 11am on Tuesday and then we will quickly send them to those who will need them. Yes, we are also beginning to get a little attention and support because people are now beginning to realize that the problem is more widespread than what they thought.”

However, the Ghana Health Service and the Volta River Authority have over the years periodically administered praziquantel, a prescription medication for treatment of the disease among the populace.

Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms that can enter the skin when individuals come into contact with contaminated bodies of water.

The disease is notably associated with bladder cancer, and while there is no vaccine for it, there is a drug available for treatment.

Transmission occurs when larval forms of the parasite, released by freshwater snails, penetrate the skin during contact with infested water.

Further transmission can occur when people suffering from schistosomiasis contaminate freshwater sources with feces or urine containing parasite eggs, which then hatch in the water.

Prevalence situation in Asuogyaman district has raised significant concerns as the spillage of the Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam has caused severe floods in numerous communities downstream of the Volta River, potentially exacerbating the spread of the disease due to the increased pollution.