The Talensi District Director of the National Disaster Management Organization, Alpha Robert, has cautioned farmers along the white Volta and shores of the Bagre Dam to stop all plans for dry season farming.
According to him, once the gates of the dam are opened, there will be continued floods in the area.
“The farmers should be aware that once the Bagre Dam is open, coupled with the rains being experienced here, we will continue to experience flooding, and farmers must stop all dry season farming now until the second week of October, when the rains here might have subsided and the spillage would have been over.”
The Bawku West District Chief Executive, Tahiru Issahaku, noted that the river banks are very fertile due to the continuous floods, and farmers are fond farming along the river.
He, however, noted that there is ongoing sensitization for the farmers to consider farming their vegetables upland until they are advised otherwise.
They made this known when they spoke on A1 News Link following the announcement by the Volta River Authority over the spillage of the Bagre Dam.
In a press release issued by the Corporate Affairs and External Relations Unit of the VRA dated September 5, 2023, the Authority revealed that high inflows into the Bagre Dam have necessitated its spillage.
“SONABEL, the power utility of Burkina Faso, has advised the Volta River Authority that due to high inflows into the Bagre Dam, high reservoir elevations have been recorded, which has necessitated spillage of water from the Bagre Dam,”he statement noted
“Consequently, the water levels of the White Volta River and its tributaries are expected to rise with the spill discharge from the Bagre Dam coupled with high rainfall in the northern parts of the country. This means that areas along the White Volta River, especially, are at a high risk of flooding“. It added
The VRA said it will continue to monitor the situation and provide more information when necessary.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Gilbert Azeem Tiroog|Ghana