Several farms along the White Volta in the Bawku West District in the Upper East Region have been hit by flooding, resulting from the spillage of excess water from the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso.

“Farms planted with crops like millet and sorghum are underwater now, “ the Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Eric Nana Agyemang Prempeh, told the Daily Graphic from northern Ghana yesterday where he had been for the past few days to oversee efforts to protect lives and property from the devastating effects of the spillage.

The spill gates of the dam were opened last Monday.

Bawku West is the first area in northern Ghana to be hit this year by the devastating effects that come with the opening of the dam.

No casualties

No casualties have been recorded.

Nana Agyemang Prempeh said the large volumes of water from the dam were drifting further downwards and would hit other areas in the next few days.

“If you consider that the average discharge of water from the dam is 76.50m3 per second, you will have no doubt that the flooding will be heavy this year,” he said.

Background

Communities downstream the White Volta have over the years been at the receiving end anytime the Burkinabe authorities spill excess water from the Bagre Dam.

This year, NADMO had increased its activities with intensive preventive measures.

On August 5, this year, the organisation issued a flood alert to a number of communities in northern Ghana asking residents to evacuate to safe areas.