Danger looms at Afienya Dam

Hundreds of houses close to the Afienya irrigation dam in the Ningo-Prampram District of Accra could face serious flooding from the spillage of the dam.

The threat appears to be imminent as the dam being used for the irrigation purposes is full and could break it bounds soon with a few additional downpours.

Most of the homes around the dam would be submerged by the possible flooding of the area and properties are likely to be destroyed in the process.

Meanwhile, Lemuel Kwashie Marley,the 2012 National Best Farmer who owns about forty hectares of the irrigation farmlands near Afienya blamed the district authorities for allowing encroachment around the dam when he spoke with DAILY GUIDE.

According to him, the authorities have allowed people to encroach on the farmland and are putting up different types of houses to the total disregard of the possible danger ahead.

He noted that all efforts to stop the encroachers over the years have proved futile as they undertake their activities with the aid of land guards.

The Best Farmer explained that several inspections by the district officers who have confirmed that the people are indeed encroachers have yielded no result as no action has yet been taken.

He took the opportunity to call on government to assist farmers in urban areas whose farmlands are being taken by private developers.

On her part, Hajia Zenab Abdulai, the Tema Metropolitan Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) suggested total demolition of the houses near the dam as the best solution to the ensuing calamity since the dam, built for the past decades, was for agricultural purposes.

However, some of the residents are rather calling for the closing of the dam explaining that they acquired their lands through legitimate means and would therefore do all they could to protect their properties.