Stanley Martey, Director of Communications at Ghana Water Ltd. (GWL), has advocated for stricter enforcement of environmental and planning laws in flood-prone areas near Weija, claiming that human activity rather than dam operations is the cause of the region’s frequent flooding.
His remarks coincide with those expressed by locals who have connected the controlled leakage of the Weija Dam to the recent flooding in some areas of Weija, which has forced some homes to relocate after intense rains.
But according to Mr Martey, the situation is a result of long-standing issues with settlement planning and lax enforcement of building codes in buffer zones and waterways.
Speaking on Saturday, May 30, on Citi News Digest with Samuel Ackom, he insisted that the fundamental reason of the floods is the area’s inherent susceptibility in conjunction with recent severe rainfall.
“The current devastation that we are seeing in the area is not caused by the spillage of the excess water from the dam. No. The area is already a flood-prone area, and in recent times, you’ve seen very heavy rain. That is what is causing the flooding,” he stated.
He explained that despite several warnings to stop such developments, uncontrolled construction in waterways has greatly exacerbated the situation.
“A lot of people are putting up structures in unauthorized places. People have occupied even the waterway. People are filling the middle of the waterway and putting up buildings, and we have been warning against these things,” he reiterated.
Additionally, Mr. Martey voiced alarm about what he called lax enforcement by local officials, which he claimed has allowed encroachment to go unchecked.
“The district assembly is sitting aloof and not ensuring that these unauthorized structures are demolished or people are stopped from putting up these unauthorized structures. That is the problem. It is not the spillage of the dam that is the problem,” he said.
He went on to defend the dam’s operational protocols, stating that controlled spilling is a safety precaution intended to avert catastrophic failure.
He cautioned that “If we do not spill excess water from the dam, then there’s the possibility of the dam collapsing. And when it collapses, what you are seeing now is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s going to be more terrible than we are seeing now.”
The Weija Dam has been spilling nonstop since April 2025, according to Mr. Martey, who also stated that inflows into the dam are still being fed by rainfall patterns in the Atiwa Forest, the source of the Densu River.
He pointed out that because to shifting weather patterns and upstream rainfall patterns, the length of the current leakage is yet unknown.
Mr. Martey demanded a coordinated response that included dredging rivers to restore natural drainage systems, enforced removal of illegal buildings, and the evacuation of populations in high-risk areas.
In order to lessen future flooding incidents in the impacted villages surrounding Weija, he continued, buffer zones surrounding water bodies must be restored.
Source: newsthemegh.com