Accra, April 29, 2026, 15:04 GMT
The Volta River Authority has stepped up emergency planning for communities below the Akosombo and Kpong dams after officials raised fresh concern over flood exposure and more than 2,000 unauthorised structures along riverbanks in Ada East. The push brings Ghana’s dam-spillage risk, land-use enforcement and early-warning systems back into focus before heavier rains peak.
It matters now because Ghana’s weather agency says above-normal rainfall is expected from April to June along the East Coast and adjoining inland areas, including Accra and Tema, raising the risk of flooding and flash floods. GMet urged district authorities to review planning permits and construction approvals in low-lying and flood-risk zones.
The memory is recent. A 2023 controlled release of reservoir water from Akosombo and Kpong displaced tens of thousands of people, and a later committee report cited by MyJoy said 38,624 victims were displaced, with homes, schools, health facilities and farmland damaged.
The latest VRA-Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council workshop in Accra brought together officials from 10 vulnerable districts to review the Emergency Preparedness Plan, or EPP, a response blueprint for dam-related emergencies, and the Environmental Management Plan for areas affected by hydroelectric operations.
Greater Accra Regional Minister Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo said the annual engagement was meant to build local capacity, test response systems and protect communities. “This focus is critical,” she said, adding that the region was committed to ensuring that “lives and property are protected.” Graphic Online
VRA senior engineer Akosua Owusu-Efaa identified two main scenarios under the plan: controlled spillage, meaning a planned release of excess reservoir water, and a possible dam break. She said the plan uses hydrological and meteorological data, daily dam inspections and a three-phase emergency classification system that can move from minor incidents to evacuation.
Abdul Noor Wahab, VRA’s director for Water Resources and Renewable Energy, said the plan served as an early warning tool that defines the roles of local authorities, security agencies and other responders during emergencies. He said public engagement remained important so communities know how to act when spillages occur.
Ada East District Chief Executive Kenneth Kabu Kofi Kanor warned that aggressive encroachment on waterways was worsening the district’s exposure. The district has identified more than 2,000 unauthorised structures along riverbanks, many without permits, and enforcement could include demolitions and court action to revoke improperly issued approvals.
“Most of the structures you see today do not have permits,” Kanor said. He added that a 50-metre buffer along riverbanks had been widely ignored, while the assembly had already halted about 28 developments in sensitive areas including Ramsar sites and island communities. Graphic Online
But the risk is execution. Warning systems, maps and workshops will not move people out of danger if assemblies fail to enforce buffers, if court processes drag, or if residents do not get alerts in time. Works, Housing and Water Resources Minister Kenneth Gilbert Adjei has also warned developers against reclaiming wetlands and building on them, saying assemblies issuing permits for protected wetlands would face scrutiny.
There is also a communications gap. At an earlier VRA engagement, officials warned that some residents did not know where their safe havens were, while the authority said illegal developments in flood-prone areas would not attract compensation. “Many people do not even know what safe havens are in their communities,” Owusu-Efaa noted. MyJoyOnline
The competitive context is limited but relevant: VRA remains central because Akosombo and Kpong sit in its hydro system, while Ghana Grid Company handles transmission and Bui Power Authority operates the separate 404-MW Bui Generating Station on the Black Volta. For this flood exercise, the heavier lift sits with VRA, NADMO and district assemblies rather than power-sector rivals.
VRA says its emergency plan provides the framework for working with downstream stakeholders when flooding is unavoidable, and that affected communities are notified when spill volumes change. That process will now face a practical test: whether warnings, land-use controls and evacuation plans can keep pace with rain, illegal construction and the next rise in reservoir levels.
