Two Farmers Drown In White Volta

White Volta

Two farmers who failed to heed the advice of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) not to visit their farms have drowned in the .

The two, Kassim Mohammed, 27, and Armeyaw Mohammed, 36, were returning from their farms in a small boat when it capsized due to the increasing level of water in the river as a result of the spilling of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso.

According to the Northern Regional Co-ordinator of NADMO, Alhaji Abdulai Mahama Silimboma, the two farmers hailed from Jagsi, an ‘overseas’ community in the West Mamprusi District of the Northern Region.

He said on August 29, 2010, Kassim and Armeyaw and two other farmers travelled across the in a small boat to harvest corn on their farms, which were located at the other side of the river.

“On their return, the water level of the river began to rise as more water flowed in from Burkina Faso following the opening of the Bagre Dam,” he narrated.

The co-ordinator said due to the weight of the corn and the humans, the boat could not withstand the waters and keeled over.

He said two of the farmers were able to swim and escape death, while the other two, who could not swim drowned in the process.

Meanwhile, there is renewed anxiety over a possible disaster following the decision by authorities in Burkina Faso to open more spill ways of the Bagre dam.

Days of heavy rains in the neighbouring country had led to the dam exceeding its capacity, thereby compelling the authorities to open it.

Initially, the authorities had undertaken a controlled spillage, which caused minimum damage to communities located along the Volta and its tributaries.

Alhaji Silimboma expressed worry that this maximum spillage could cause more havoc which could overwhelm the organisation.

He said in spite of this, the NADMO would continue to intensify education in the flood-prone communities and also intensify preparations for relief operations.