The Authority said despite the fact that more than GH¢4 million has been expended over the years in attempts to curb their growth, the weeds still pose a great challenge to power generation and the surrounding communities around the Akosombo Dam.
Speaking to Citi News, the Director of Environment and Sustainability at the Authority, Benjamin Sackey says the Authority is working to deal with the weeds, and they have led to the shutdown of some turbines in the area.
“It is really a menace not only to VRA but also to the community. And one of our challenges with these weeds is that they float, and they can sometimes break and move toward the Kpong Pond, which is the Akuse Dam, and we often have to shut down the turbines to clear them.”
Mr. Sackey said because of the persistent happenings and destructions caused by the weeds, the Authority has instituted a programme aimed at fighting their growth and spread.
“These weeds are critical to our operations and the company has a programme of managing the weeds, specifically from the shoreline where the communities are and also on the main water body.”
He added that the havoc caused by the weeds has prompted the company to install skimmers in an attempt to improve the floating rate of water for power generation and to also reduce manpower application in the generation mix.
“Once the skimmers are being utilized, they are going to help maintain the floating rate and that will reduce our manpower utilization.”