The Water Resources Commission (WRC) of Ghana late Thursday issued a flood alert for communities along the tributaries of the Volta River in Northern Ghana amid the looming spillage of water from the reservoir of Burkina Faso’s Bagré Dam.
The WRC said in a release that it had received notification from Société Nationale d’électricité du Burkina Faso (SONABEL), Burkina Faso’s state-owned managers of the Bagré Dam that water level in the dam, as of Thursday, Aug. 27, had reached 234.64 meters, just 0.36 meters below the normal reservoir level of 235 meters, with a dam filling rate of 95.19 percent.
Moreover, WRC said SONABEL had announced the decision to commence controlled water spillage from the dam on Friday, Aug. 28.
“Communities along the White Volta and adjoining areas are advised to take the necessary precautions and adhere to safety guidelines, directives, and advisories from local Assemblies and relevant agencies,” the release added.
The Black, White, and Red Voltas, as well as Oti, which form the major tributaries of River Volta, the trans boundary water body, which empties into the sea in Ghana, take their sources from Burkina Faso, where the Bagré Dam, built in 1992, sits on the White Volta in the Boulgou Province.
Almost each year, authorities in Burkina Faso spill excess water from the reservoir of the Bagré Dam, resulting in floods downstream in Northern Ghana.