Residents living along the White Volta River and its tributaries have been advised to move to higher grounds or take precautionary measures to prevent being flooded as a result of the spillage of the Barge Dam in Burkina Faso.
According to the Volta River Authority (VRA), the advice follows an announcement by the SONABEL, the power utility of Burkina Faso, that due to high inflows into the Bagre Dam, high reservoir elevations had been recorded, requiring the spillage of water from the dam.
“Consequently, the water levels of the White Volta River and its tributaries are expected to rise with the spill discharge from the Bagre Dam coupled with high rainfall in the northern parts of the country.
“This means that areas along the White Volta River, especially, are at a high risk of flooding,” the statement said.
The statement said the VRA would continue to monitor the situation and provide more information when necessary.
The spillage of the Bagre Dam takes place either in August or September every year, to prevent destruction to the dam. This exercise results in flooding at low-lying communities in Burkina Faso and Ghana.
About 35 communities along the White Volta in the Bawku Municipality, Bawku West, Garu, Binduri, Nabdam and Talensi districts are the hardest-hit areas.
Last year, the Wa West District in the Upper West Region was one of the hardest hit by the spillage of the Bagre and Kompiega dams in Burkina Faso.
The district with a population of 99,187 has seen major floods that had cut off most of the communities from the district’s capital, Wechiau and making it difficult for residents to access major social services like healthcare, trade, among others.
According to the Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Mustapha Ahmed, many farmlands were submerged in water and it was difficult to quantify the extent of loss due to the inability of the organisation to access the farmlands.
The district has a large stretch of the Black Volta passing through it with a number of low lying areas, making it susceptible to floods, coupled with poor road network in the area.
The situation was compounded by the incessant rains which has led to the collapse of the walls of the Balawa dam in the district and caused an unintended spillage that had de-linked several communities such as Balawa and Vieri.
BY TIMES REPORTER
