Flooded areas affected by Weija dam spillage. Photo Credit: Ghanaweb
By Biodun Busari
Thousands of residents of Oblogo, Tetegu, Weija and Ashalaja in Ghana have been displaced following the spillage of the Weija Dam.
Reports from the West African country said the spillage was caused by torrential rains over the weekend as they have contributed to the water level in the dam rising above its maximum level of 46 feet to 48 feet.
Ghanaweb said this has led to authorities of the Ghana Water Company Limited spilling the excess water, which posed a danger to the safety of the dam and residents in adjoining communities.
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Residents of Weija, Oblogo, Tetegu and Ashalaja have been stranded after flood waters took their homes.
The aftermath of the spillage has led to the flood waters making their way into the homes of the affected residents.
According to reports, more than 1,000 houses have been submerged and 1,500 people displaced in the affected communities and many residents have resorted to using canoes around the areas to leave their homes to higher grounds.
Residents using canoes to move the flooded areas
“It was coming little by little on Sunday evening so we thought it will go down. Then this morning it was too much, we had to leave our various houses…there are still some stuff stuck in the houses. It normally happens but it has not really been this much,” one of the residents said.
“I think at this point, it is quite dangerous because I have seen the water has reached a new level,” another resident stated.
However, some fishermen also took advantage of the situation to cash in by charging residents ten Ghana cedis to help them recover some of their property.
The Unit Committee Member for Weija, Elder Amponsah Ampaw, said having lived at Weija for over 20 years, he has never seen anything like that before.
For him, there was nothing that could be done about the situation now and his own house had also been flooded.
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