Greater Accra Floods Force Substation Shutdowns and Weija Dam Evacuations as ECG Restores Power Services

2 days ago•3 min read•8 sources

Severe flooding in the Greater Accra Region has triggered a series of emergency measures, including the temporary shutdown of critical power substations and an urgent evacuation order for communities near the Weija Dam. The Ghana Grid Company Ltd. (GRIDCo) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) took the precautionary step of deactivating the Mallam and Achimota (Dzorwulu) Primary Substations to protect high-voltage equipment and personnel from rising waters. This strategic shutdown led to widespread power interruptions across several districts, prompting the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to deploy independent teams to monitor the impact and ensure the safety of utility consumers. The Commission expressed regret over the outages' impact on households and businesses while maintaining its commitment to reliable service.

Parallel to the power crisis, the Weija-Gbawe Municipal office of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) issued an immediate evacuation notice for residents living along the Weija Dam spillway. Following heavy inflows from Nsawam, authorities were forced to open three spill gates to manage the dam's integrity, significantly raising the risk of flooding in downstream low-lying areas. Communities such as Tetegu, Weija, SCC, and surrounding settlements were urged to move to higher ground immediately. Residents have been cautioned against attempting to cross floodwaters and advised to carry only essential items as the situation remains volatile, with emergency services standing by to assist those in distress.

The flooding also paralyzed digital infrastructure, with the ECG reporting major disruptions to its vending systems and the ECG PowerApp. Technical teams worked around the clock to restore payment platforms, which were eventually recovered by the morning of June 30. While many outages were intentional for safety reasons, others resulted from physical damage to infrastructure in areas including Kwashieman, Avenor, and Dome Pillar Two. These incidents coincided with previously scheduled maintenance in Accra West and East, as well as separate network faults that caused unplanned blackouts in parts of the Tema Region, adding to the complexity of the restoration efforts.

As of late June 30, the Ministry of Energy and ECG confirmed that power supply has been restored to the majority of the affected areas, including Dansoman and Labone. Ministry spokesperson Richmond Rockson expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to households and businesses, emphasizing that the safety-first approach was necessary to prevent electrical accidents. However, the recovery remains fragile; the Ghana Meteorological Agency has warned of further rainfall on the horizon, urging citizens to remain vigilant. The ECG continues to advise the public to report any downed lines or electrical hazards to local offices to prevent potential fatalities as the rainy season progresses.

This story touches markets covered on Anansi Intelligence ↗.

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Greater Accra Floods Force Substation Shutdowns and Weija Dam Evacuations as ECG Restores Power Services

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