Residents along the banks of the White Volta River have been admonished to take precautionary measures as the annual spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso is expected to commence today.
They are to evacuate to highlands to avert the flooding and devastating impact the spillage has on communities in the area.
The caution is contained in an alert issued by authorities SONABEL, the Power Utility of Burkina Faso to announce plans to spill the dam following the rising level of the water since August 2, this year.
Signed by the country Basin Director, Jesse Kazapoe, the alert said if the dam was not spilled, it would have adverse ramifications on human life and property in lots of communities in the landlocked country.
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It said the Water Resources Commission had been advised to take precautions because of the consequences of the overflow of the water on the river banks.
"Updates from SONABEL this afternoon indicate that, the upstream level of the dam is 232.82m and rising.
Consequently, SONABEL will commence the spillage of water from the Bagre Dam by Monday August 19, 2024," the statement said.
"This is to inform you for your further action relating to flood management. We will furnish you with additional information on this matter as this becomes available to us," the statement said.
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The spillage of the Bagre Dam takes place either in August or September every year, to prevent destruction to the dam. This exercise results in flooding at low-lying communities in Burkina Faso and Ghana.
About 35 communities along the White Volta in the Bawku Municipality, Bawku West, Garu, Binduri, Nabdam and Talensi districts are the hardest hit areas.
Two years ago, the Wa West District in the Upper West Region was one of the hardest hit by the spillage of the Bagre and Kompiega Dams in Burkina Faso.
The district with a population of 99,187 has seen major floods that had cut off most of the communities from the district's capital, Wechiau and making it difficult for residents to access major social services like healthcare, trade, among others.
Many farmlands were submerged in water.
The district has a large stretch of the Black Volta passing through it with a number of low lying areas, making it susceptible to floods, coupled with poor road network in the area.
The situation was compounded by the incessant rains which has led to the collapse of the walls of the Balawa Dam in the district and caused an unintended spillage that had delinked several communities such as Balawa and Vieri.
