Ghana Navy Rescues Thousands as Dams Overflow

More than 26,000 people have been forced to flee their homes owing to floods caused by the widespread leakage of Ghana's Akosombo dam on the Volta River. Due to a steady rise in water levels upstream of the dam, mostly brought on by excessive rains, the Volta River Authority, started controlled spilling of the Akosombo and Kpong dams on September 15, 2023. The rising waters saw the controlled splling increase, sadly forcing hundreds of people to relocate as a result of the catastrophic floods caused by this spill in multiple fishing communities.

The climate crisis in Africa will continue having devastating consequences until action is taken to mitigate the loss of life and damage to infrastructure. It is also impacting areas such as health and is resulting in various outbreaks, including the spread of cholera.