Spillage of water from the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso has commenced.
With it has come a lot of hardship on residents in the Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions who have had major roads, farmlands and property inundated by the floodwaters.
Although the floods, resulting from the Bagre and Kompienga dams, do not usually affect the communities in the region, there are fears that the already swollen Black Volta River that flows through some districts is going to cause more trouble to the inhabitants.
According to the inhabitants, the last time the spillage of the two dams in Burkina Faso affected the region was about three years ago but with the area overtaken by the floods and continuous rainfall, there are fears that this time round, the spillage of the dams could cause severe damage.
In order to protect lives, the Director of Operations of the Northern Regional National Disaster management Organisation (NADMO) Secretariat, Mr. Abu Adams, said NADMO has intensified its sensitisation programme in the flood-prone communities in the region along the tributaries of the White Volta River, to get the residents to move to higher ground.
He stated that while some started moving ahead of the spillage, others who had their farms along the river banks, remained adamant and that they were using traditional authorities to move those who had refused to relocate to a safer place.
Meanwhile, in the North East, residents living along the White Volta River are reported to have heeded calls to move to higher grounds to avoid last years’ experience which claimed at least 10 lives in the region as a result of the spillage coupled with torrential rainfall.
