Residents of Weija and its surroundings in Accra have been advised by the Ghana Water Company Limited to move to safer dwellings as it prepares to spill excess water from the dam in the locality.

This has been an annual ritual by GWCL.

The water level in the dam, according to GWCL, was just a feet below the 47-feet safe operating level as of Friday, 28 April 2023, thus, the necessity to spill excess water to avoid putting the installation in danger.

In a statement, the Chief Manager, Public Relations and Communication of GWCL, Mr Stanley Martey, said: “With the outset of the rains, the management of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) wishes to inform the public, especially citizens living downstream of the Weija Dam, that it will begin spillage of excess water from the dam any time soon."


"The management of GWCL is, by this release, sounding a word of caution to inhabitants downstream to evacuate the area to forestall any eventuality.”

“The level of the dam as of Friday 28th April 2023 is 46ft, 1ft below the maximum safe operating level of 47ft. The dam levels are monitored on an hourly basis and the GWCL will not hesitate to open the spill gates, should the level go above 46.5ft, so as not to compromise the integrity of the dam and to avert any disaster," the statement warned.

The company noted: “The Municipal Assembly has also been informed to desilt the estuary to enable easy flow of the water into the sea and to clear heaps of refuse along the course of the river."

It added: "The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), national security, chiefs of Weija, Ogblogo, Tetegu, Weija, Gbawe, opinion leaders and all stakeholders including institutions and organisations who have properties downstream have been informed of the development and current situation at the dam."

Some of the communities likely to be affected include Tetegu, Oblogo, Pambros Salt, Lower McCarthy Hill, Lower Weija, Bojo Beach, Adakope and surrounding communities.

Read GWCL’s full statement below:



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: 28th APRIL 2023

ATTN: NEWS EDITOR

WEIJA DAM WATER SPILLAGE EARLY WARNING

With the onset of the rains, Management of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) wishes to inform the public, especially citizens living downstream of the Weija Dam, that it will begin spillage of excess water from the dam any time soon.

The level of the Dam as of Friday 28th April 2023 is 46ft, 1ft below the maximum safe operating level of 47ft. The dam levels are monitored on an hourly basis and the GWCL will not hesitate to open the spill gates, should the level go above 46.5ft, so as not to compromise the integrity of the dam and to avert any disaster.

The Management of GWCL is by this release sounding a word of caution to inhabitants downstream to evacuate the area to forestall any eventuality. The Municipal Assembly has also been informed to desilt the estuary to enable easy flow of the water into the sea and to clear heaps of refuse along the course of the river. The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), National Security, Chiefs of Weija, Ogblogo, Tetegu, Weija, Gbawe, opinion leaders and all stakeholders including institutions and organizations who have properties downstream have been informed of the development and current situation at the dam.

The communities likely to be affected include Tetegu, Oblogo, Pambros Salt, Lower McCarthy Hill, Lower Weija, Bojo Beach, Adakope and surrounding communities.

Management of GWCL expects that the public will be supportive in this exercise to avoid a reoccurrence of the disaster that has occurred in the past.

Stanley Martey (Chief Manager, PR & Communication)