Every year, thousands of people in the Northern part of Ghana are affected by the spillage of the Bagre Dam which leads to the loss of life and property.
But the situation seems to be different and under control this year according to the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO).
It is believed that the proactive nature of NADMO saved the lives and property of many communities in the Northern Region.
The North Eastern Regional Director of NADMO, John Kwaku Alhassan made this known in an interview with Happy98.9FM’s Samuel Eshun, host of the Happy Morning Show.
Speaking on measures taken by NADMO weeks prior to the Bagre Dam spillage, John said, “Last month the Director-General of NADMO visited us and informed us about the impending spillage. He advised people and communities to move to higher grounds to avoid suffering from the spillage.”
He furthered that the national office of NADMO also has a working relationship with officials at the Bagre Dam and “they also trained our people on response strategies when the dam is spilt.”
The regional director of NADMO admitted that had it not been the education and stakeholder engagement undertaken by his outfit, the aftermath of the disaster would’ve been rather severe.
With most parts of the region still submerged, John Alhassan noted that his department had not been able to reach out to the communities around to assess the situation. But, “the Regional Minister is going to these communities today for a situational assessment and we have received information of one missing person.”
On measures taken to lessen the burden of victims of the dam spillage, he stated that the government has provided them with relief materials but that is not enough. “Government has a huge responsibility but their support alone is not going to be enough. We want private institutions to support us.”
The annual Bagre Dam spillage due to the rate of rise in water levels of the dam happened last week.
With high rainfall in Burkina Faso, this week, a second spillage of the dam occurred which led to the flooding of some of the communities in the Northern part of Ghana. So far no loss of lives has been recorded.
By: Joel Sanco
