Twenty-nine communities along the White Volta Basin in Bawku West District of the Upper East Region were affected by the spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso last Friday, following heavy downpours in that country. This came to light when the Emergency and Rapid Response Unit of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) toured some of the affected communities, to ascertain the level of damage caused to life and property, as a result of the spillage. According to the coordinators, some of the communities affected were Kusanaba, Kobore, Bugula, Tabre, Galaka, Gozongo, Salpiiga, Sapeliga, Sakpare, Boya Kpalsako, Kopela Gore Kansoogo, Zongoire Kpalsako, Dagunga, Saka, Googo, Tiego, Yarigu, Biringu, Timonde Bugit Gure, Timonde Goriga, Tanga KpaIsako, Agaago, and Gumdago. Explaining why a particular district was hard hit, Mr. Aduk-Pam said the Galaka Basin was the first receptacle of both the Bagre and Kupeinga dams from Burkina Faso. He said due to the intensive sensitisation and educational programmes carried out by NADMO, only crops cultivated along the banks of the White Volta Basin have been affected, adding that there was no human casualty, as the majority of the people do not live close to the river, and the few who did, had relocated to higher grounds. In the Bawku Municipality, the NADMO Coordinator, Mr. Musah Sulemana, revealed that four communities had been affected. These were Nafkolga, Bazua, Baasi and Tambigu. Mrs. Helen Ntoso, who led the emergency response unit team, said they were in the region to access the situation on the ground, and respond appropriately, to ensure that no human life was lost this year. The Bawku Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Musah Abdulai, observed that farmers who farmed along the river banks claimed the place was very fertile. He therefore, suggested that those farmers be provided with agricultural inputs during the farming season, so they would be relocated to higher grounds to avoid being affected by the perennial problem of flooding. Lieutenant Seth Paul Essiaw of the 48 Engineers Regiment, and the Upper East Regional Coordinator of NADMO, Mr. Patrick Akake, were all part of the part of the team. Source: The Chronicle