Source: newsthemegh.com
The World Bank has expressed sympathy to the people affected by the recent floods in the Volta River basin, which were caused by the overflow of water from the Akosombo and Kpong dams.
The floodwaters destroyed the crops of about 30,000 people, forcing them to relocate.
The World Bank’s Operations Manager for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Ms. Michelle Keane, stated at the 3rd Conference on Fisheries and Coastal Environment in Accra, “We can’t speak about flooding today without conveying the World Bank’s sincere empathy and concern for the ten thousand people who have been impacted by the recent floods along the Volta River.”
“The World Bank would want to express its readiness to support the government in its response to this crisis”, she said.
“In the longer term, developing a sustainability and risk management strategy for the Volta River and Volta Delta among other areas will be crucial to determine where it is safe for people to live and how their livelihoods can be sustained and grow along the Volta River supported by a healthy ecosystem” she added
“We hope that the government and its partners will take full advantage of the $150 million approved by the World Bank for Ghana under the West Africa Coastal Areas Management Programme (WACA)”, she noted.
She said the financing is expected to become available “very soon after parliamentary approval”.