The Food and Agricultural Minister, Mr. Ernest Debrah says people living along the White Volta must leave the area as the authorities in Kurkina Faso open the flood gates of the Bagre Dam on Thursday. He said farmers have also been warned to avoid their farms to avert any loss of lives through the flooding that is likely to result from the opening of the Dam. He was reacting to concerns that some residents in the area are resisting evacuation in the face of the likely flooding. Some parts of the Upper East and Northern Regions experience annual flooding when the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso is opened. The Dam is built on the White Volta which has its source in that country and is opened every during the rainy season to prevent it from bursting its banks. But that creates problems for communities along the banks of the river in Ghana. Last year, large tracks of farm lands especially in Builsa District and some parts of the Northern Regions were destroyed by floods. Although the Bagre Dam has not yet opened this year, the areas have experienced some flooding. The announcement that the Dam will be opened on Thursday, August 21, 2008 has brought jitters to the authorities in Ghana. Farmers in those regions have been asked to harvest their crops quickly before the floods come. The Northern Regional Director of Agriculture, Mr. Sylvester Adongo told Joy News that crops that are yet to mature will have to be abandoned. He said the farmers have been sensitized to move their animals to higher grounds to avoid losing them when the floods come. Story by Malik Abass Daabu