VRA increases volume of spillage

Wednesday, November 3, 2010



THE Volta River Authority (VRA) yesterday increased from 10,000 cubic feet to between 20,000 and 30,000 cubic feet per second, the volume of water being spilled from the Akosombo Dam.
The move has become necessary due to the continuous increase in the volume of water flowing from the north into the dam since four of the 12 spill-ways were opened on Monday.
The volume of water in the dam, which stood at 277 feet when it was first opened on Monday, is said to have increased to 277.27 by yesterday, which is less than one foot away from the maximum volume of 278 feet.
The Chief Executive Officer of the VRA, Mr Kweku Awortwi, who was at the dam site on Monday to sign the Order of Operation before the first spill-way could be opened, gave the assurance that engineers of the authority were on high alert to ensure that the dam did not lose too much water and also to see to it that flooding did not occur.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic yesterday, the Head of the Public Relations Unit of the VRA, Mrs Gertrude Koomson, said the current large inflow of water to the dam was due to the fact that more water was flowing from both the White Volta and Black Volta, as well as rivers Oti and Afram, which are currently overflowing their banks.
She said the effect of the flooding up north was being felt on the lake now because when there was flooding in those areas, it took about four weeks for its effect to be felt.
She maintained that the 20,000 to 30,000 cubic feet per second being spilled presently was within range and it would, therefore, not cause any havoc to inhabitants living downstream.
“People downstream the dam could be affected if the volume is increased to 50,000 cubic feet per second,” she indicated.
In a related development, personnel of the Rapid Response Unit of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) have embarked on a mock rescue operation down stream the lake in readiness for any eventuality.