Environmental scientist and lecturer at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS), Navrongo, Dr. Raymond Atanga Aitibasa, has renewed calls for compensation for communities in the Upper East Region affected by the annual Bagre Dam spillage, saying existing regional legal frameworks support compensation for victims of transboundary water disasters.
Speaking on Bolga FM’s morning programme, Timaaga Sanga, Dr. Aitibasa said communities that continue to suffer losses from the annual release of water from Burkina Faso’s Bagre Dam deserve prompt compensation for damaged property, destroyed crops, environmental degradation and loss of life.
“The Master Plan is built on the principle of the obligation not to cause harm and explicitly mandates states to facilitate compensation for people who suffer damage resulting from the management of shared water resources,” he said.
Dr. Aitibasa, who served as a Co-Facilitator for Group 4: Environment, Climate Change and Green Infrastructure under the PEARL Framework, cited the Master Plan for Development and Sustainable Water Resource Management of the Volta Basin Authority (VBA) as well as Articles 65 and 66 of the VBA Water Charter (2018), which require member states to prevent significant harm and negotiate compensation where damage occurs.
“Communities affected by the Bagre Dam spillage deserve prompt and adequate compensation for the loss of lives, property, crops and environmental damage. The legal framework of the Volta Basin Authority provides a strong basis for this,” he said.
He urged the Government of Ghana, the Volta Basin Authority and other stakeholders to work together to establish a fair compensation mechanism while implementing long-term measures to reduce the impact of annual flooding in northern Ghana.
Dr. Aitibasa also linked recurring flooding in Accra to human activities, particularly the construction of buildings on waterways and indiscriminate waste disposal that blocks drainage systems.
“The major cause of flooding in Accra is the attitude of people. Many individuals build on waterways, making it difficult for water to flow freely. In many countries, people are not allowed to build close to waterways, but in Ghana these laws are often not effectively enforced because of politics,” he said.
He added that poor enforcement of planning regulations, coupled with choked drains caused by indiscriminate dumping of refuse, continues to worsen flooding in the capital.
Dr. Aitibasa called for stricter enforcement of environmental and planning laws nationwide, saying preventing flooding requires both responsible land use and proper waste management.
He said addressing the root causes of flooding while providing adequate support for victims of transboundary disasters is essential to protecting lives, livelihoods and promoting sustainable development.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz |Â Mary Atiamah Aperika | Bolgatanga
