Ghana: Akosombo Dam disaster reveals a history of negligence that continues to this day
RECENT heavy downpours in the Lower Volta area of Ghana led to the worst flooding in the region’s history. The flooding was caused by a spillage (a deliberate release of water) from the Akosombo Dam, the country’s biggest hydroelectric dam. Over 26,000 people were displaced. No deaths have been officially announced. The last recorded spillage was in 2010. STEPHAN MIESCHER, Professor of History, University of California, Santa Barbara The Volta River Authority, the state agency that manages the Akosombo Dam, opened the floodgates to release pressure on the dam after unusually high rainfall. By September, Volta Lake, the vast, 400km-long…