Six more dead in Bagre Dam spillage

Six more people are reported dead in the Kumbungu District of the Northern region, following the spillage of the Bagre Dam.

This bring to ten, the number of people who have lost their lives due to the spillage.

Assembly man for the Singa Electoral Area, Abubakari Alhassan says the community has been completely cut off from the regional capital, Tamale.

Trapped residents are said to be in dire need of medical supplies and health care.

They also fear that that their foodstuff may get rotten because they are unable to cross over to sell their produce.

Joynews’ Upper West regional correspondent, Albert Sore said farms at the bank of the White Volta Basin have been taken over by water from the spillage.

Northern Regional Corrdinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Alhaji Abdulai Slimboma told Joy News the water levels have been increasing since September 7, and fears this may continue to happen for a while, and all farms within the area may be affected.

He said residents have been advised to relocate.

The Bagre Dam was reaching its maximum level of 235 metres following continuous heavy rainfall.  Managers of the Burkinabe dam are often compelled to spill more water from the dam which swells the White and Black Volta Rivers at the expense of lives and property of the poor riverside dwellers.

Even though Ghana was duly notified before the spillage, some locals have refused to leave their affected communities and relocate to high land areas.

They persisted in harvesting their food crops, mainly maize.

Some of the affected communities are West Mamprusi, Savelugu Nanton, Kumbungu, Tolon, Gonja North, Central Gonja and the West Gonja districts of the Northern Region.