Akosombo Dam experiences highest water level of 277.33 feet

Akosombo (E/R), Nov. 3, GNA - The Akosombo Hydro Electrical Dam, on Wednesday experienced the highest water level of 277.33 feet since 1974.

The rise is the highest as compared to 276.00 feet in 1974 and 275.20 feet in 1991 with the lowest level of 234.00 feet occurring in 2007.

According to Mr. Kwesi Brenu Amoako, Director of the Hydro Generation Plant, the Akosombo Dam has twelve spillage gates but six gates of 40,000 cubic feet of water per second have been opened to reduce the water level.

Briefing the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Martin Amidu, and officials of National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr. Amoako explained that "Volta River Authority (VRA) is making sure that the spillage does not affect people living along the down stream as well as their properties.

"We are getting more inflow of water and we will continue to spill until we have the maximum of 276 feet. We will continue this exercise for about six days or up to mid November when rain stops", he said.

Mr. Amoako stressed that the effect of the spillage would not be so significant since about ten per cent of the volume of water in the dam would be allowed to flow out of the dam.

Mr Johnson Hlordjie, Plant Manager of Kpong Generating Plant, said the current water level of 277.33 feet at the Plant was at a safe margin and "we think everything is in order."

He said though six gates of the Akosombo dam have been opened and 11 of the 15 gates of the Kpong dam also opened, the situation was under control.

Mr. Hlordjie said officials of Kpong Generating Plant have educated the people through information vans and community radio stations on the spillage.

He said siren was blown for about 30 minutes to alert fishermen on the Volta Lake of the spillage.

He said the spill water would flow along villages to Ada where the Volta enters the sea.

Mr. Meister Afriyie, Mayor refuted rumors that somebody had drown at the Asutuare area when his canoe capsized adding "this particular incident happened before the spillage and that the spillage has not caused it."

Mr. Amidu commended the VRA for managing the spillage successfully. He appealed to the public to obey instructions from the VRA not to settle along the dam adding "Let us trust our experts so that we will not live to regret."

Mr. Amidu also expressed his appreciation to the Rapid Response Unit of NADMO and 48 Engineering Regiment of the Ghana Army for preventing fishermen from fishing when the gates of the dams were opened.