The Northeast Regional Minister, Ibrahim Tia, has urged farmers and residents living along the White Volta to brace themselves for the impact of the anticipated Bagre Dam spillage, assuring that adequate safety measures have been put in place.

Speaking on Joy Prime’s News Flash, Mr. Tia outlined the preparedness of the region to mitigate the effects of the annual spillage, which often leads to flooding and destruction of farmlands.

Farmers at Risk

The Minister expressed concern that many farmers stand to lose their livelihoods as several crops along the White Volta are not yet ready for harvesting.

“One of the aspects we will be looking at is those who farm alongside the White Volta. Some of these people’s crops are not yet ready for harvesting and therefore they won’t be able to harvest anything and will be greatly affected. However, a few of them are ready for harvesting,” he stated.

Farmer’s Death Clarified

Addressing reports of a recent farmer’s death allegedly linked to the spillage, Mr. Tia clarified that the incident was unrelated to the release of water from Burkina Faso.

“When the dam is opened from Burkina Faso, it takes three days before the water gets into our territory. As of yesterday, the water had not reached our territory yet,” he explained.

The Minister revealed that the deceased, Baba Takora, tragically died after falling into a deep hole while fetching water for farmhands.

“Baba Takora unfortunately invited some people to help him harvest his maize. He went to fetch water for their consumption and unfortunately fell into a deep hole. It is not the Bagre Dam water that consumed him,” Mr. Tia clarified.

Preparedness and Evacuation Measures

Mr Tia assured that disaster management teams are on high alert.

“The Regional Community Council has activated the Regional Disaster Management Committee with all stakeholders on board, and we have sensitized all the communities along the White Volta, making them understand that the water will be coming anytime soon and that they should all leave the river banks and move to safer lands,” he said.

He added that the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has deployed engine boats to facilitate emergency evacuations.

“A NADMO team is in the region, prepared with engine boats along the White Volta stretch, ready to evacuate any victims. We have made arrangements to move them to safer lands,” he noted.

The Minister emphasised that continuous awareness campaigns are being conducted to ensure compliance.

“There is an intensive campaign right from Pando, stretching into the Northern Region. We have done enough campaigns to sensitize the people to move to safer grounds,” he concluded.

The Bagre Dam spillage, an annual exercise by authorities in Burkina Faso to prevent overflow, has historically caused flooding in northern Ghana, destroying farmlands and displacing thousands.