ANNUAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IN COLLABORATION WITH THE VOLTA RIVER AUTHORITY
Officials from the Volta River Authority (VRA), held a workshop with the Ada West District Assembly on Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) and Environmental Management Plan (EMP) on 29th July 2025.
The guest of honour, Hon. Modjifa Tanihu JJF Mills-Nkrumah, District Chief Executive for Ada West District expressed his pleasure to partake in this all important workshop in line with saving lives and properties.
The DCE, noted the timelines of the workshop, emphasizing the district’s geographical location and proximity to water bodies and energy infrastructure, makeing it essential to remain proactive in preparing for emergencies; and managing the environment responsibly.
He stated that the programme provides a platform to harness expert knowledge, share practical experiences, and align strategies to effectively safeguard communities and ecosystems. He thanked VRA officials for their collaboration and continuous commitment to supporting the development of the district.
He encouraged participants to engage fully, ask critical questions, and share ideas. He further noted that this programme came at a time when realities of climate change are becoming more evident and urgent, with rising temperature, erratic rainfall patterns, flooding, and coastal erosion occurring within the communities. He stressed that the district, the district located on the coast and hosting major water bodies and energy installations, must be doubly prepared, not just to respond to disasters but to anticipate, adapt, and build long term resilience.
He explained that the collaboration with VRA, a key partner in this endeavour, is important as the workshop presents an opportunity to assess current vulnerabilities, identify gaps in community level disaster response, promote green and adaptive practices, and align development efforts with both national goals and global sustainability frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Participants of the workshop included, Mr Kwadwo Bour Gyamfi, District Coordinating Director, traditional leaders across the district, security services, Honourable Assembly Members, and the staff and management of the Assembly.
The facilitators from the VRA were Mr. Philip Paddy, Principal Engineer of the water resources and renewable energy department, Mrs Rhoda Arthur, Principal Communications Relations Officer, and Mrs Elsie Asante, the Environmental and Sustainable Development Department and other officials
The EPP was discussed in detail as an early warning tool designed to identify potential emergency situations and outline pre planned actions to minimize property damage and loss of life. It specifies the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders when dam failure is likely or when water releases or spills from the dam could pose risks to people, property or economic activities downstream.
It identifies the procedures and processes that the dam owner or operator must follow, including the identification and evaluation of an emergency situation, notification of the appropriate emergency management organisations, and carrying out preventive actions to reduce the impact of the emergency.
Pre- planned activities under the EPP include monitoring, emergency detection, emergency classification, notification, assignment of responsibilities, and warning potentially affected people. The EPP also assists emergency management organisations by promoting pre-emergency risk assessments, awareness raising and training in potentially affected areas, and making preparedness tools available for emergency response and relief management.
NADMO’s responsibilities in non-emergency situations include maintain an adequate internal communication system for emergencies and preparing a priority list of logistics and other supplies to be sourced from bilateral and multilateral donors.
In emergency situations, NADMO provides assistance to zones to fulfil emergency responsibilities and liaises with the Central Government or National Security Council. The District Chief Executive, in collaboration with NADMO, participates in EPP reviews and training when requested by VRA and maintains an adequate internal communication system for emergencies in non-emergency situations, while in emergencies, both parties rescue people trapped by inundation and warn the public in potentially affected zones of emergency conditions at the dam.
During the presentations, VRA officials also addressed the various causes of flooding in the district. They highlighted that wetlands have been sold for residential settlements and building permits have granted for structures in waterways, which obstruct natural water flow. They stressed that residents themselves induce flooding through poor land use practices and encroachment on natural drainage paths.
Secondly, flooding in the area is influenced by the fact that water feeding into the Volta River comes from six countries within the Volta Basin; Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Cote d’lvoire, and Ghana; meaning that upstream rainfall and activities in these countries can significantly affect water levels and flood risks downstream. They called for stricter enforcement of land use regulations, and greater public awareness to address both human induced and external flooding risks.
In his closing remarks, the District Chief Executive thanked the resources persons from VRA for their presentations and promised to work with Assembly Members and staff to spread the knowledge gained throughout the district. He acknowledged that Ada West is already benefiting from VRA’s initiatives, particularly the scholarship scheme for needy but brilliant students, and expressed his gratitude to VRA for supporting education and development in the district.
Participants partook in an online survey questionnaire to test their depth of understanding on the subject matter. Excelling participants were rewarded with VRA branded sourvineirs.
ISD – AWDA
29th July2025