The Mepe Development Association (MDA) has issued a strong condemnation of comments made by the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Freda Prempeh, regarding flood victims in the Mepe community and other areas affected by floods in the Volta region and beyond.

The Minister, Freda Prempeh, attributed blame to the flood victims, stating that they did not heed early warnings provided by the Volta River Authority and other state agencies to evacuate.

She mentioned that the victims refused to relocate until the unfortunate incident occurred, making them a burden on the government.

The Minister claimed that despite joint efforts by the VRA, NADMO, and the Water Resource Commission to educate the community and conduct sensitization exercises in Mepe, the residents refused to leave.

These statements by the Minister have garnered significant criticism and backlash.

The Mepe Development Association (MDA) has now joined in denouncing these comments made by the Minister.

In response to the comments made by the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Freda Prempeh, the Mepe Development Association (MDA) issued a press release condemning her for what they perceived as peddling misinformation about the victims of the flood caused by the state-controlled Akosombo Dam spillage.

The MDA carefully reviewed the details of the minister’s statement and argued that neither the Mepe Traditional Council, the Mepe Development Association, nor any other relevant stakeholders were engaged in any sensitization exercise as claimed by the minister.

They questioned how such a critical exercise could have gone unnoticed by these key stakeholders in the community.

The Association also contested the Minister’s suggestion that the people of Mepe should have evacuated, asserting that neither the VRA nor any other state agency had provided any temporary shelter facilities for displaced citizens before or after the flood incident.