Bagre Dam Spillage: Affected Farmers Calls For Urgent Support

Following the spillage of the Bagre dam, farmers along the White Volta at Pwalugu in the Upper East Region, whose farms are inundated by the flood waters, are appealing to government for immediate support.

The destruction to their farms has affected their livelihood as they are now unable to cater for their families.

Authorities of Burkina Faso spilled the Bagre dam on the 31st of August 2018, and the huge volumes of water hit the shores of Ghana through the confluence at Kalaga in the Bawku West District.

The spillage has submerged hundreds of farms along the White Volta in the Bawku Municipality, Bawku West, Binduri, Nabdam and the Talensi districts.

Narrating their ordeal to Citi News five days after the spillage, some affected farmers in Pwalugu in the Talensi District said the spillage is taking a toll on their livelihood.

They thus appealed to government to urgently intervene.

“I cultivated 4 acres of maize and 2 acres of rice, but the spillage of the Bagre dam has destroyed all my farms. So we are appealing to government to help affected farmers with maize, beans seedlings and farm inputs to do dry season farming when the floods recedes.”

“As at now, the floods have destroyed our farms and we are left with nothing, we need government support” another affected farmer Aseiya Asakyin said.

Basorma Peaborezor, also a farmer, said “The destruction of our farms by the floods has worsened our poverty situation. I cultivated 10 acres of maize, and have two wives and children. Look at how the floods have destroyed our farms, how do I pay school fees and there is also no food for us as my farms are destroyed. I want government to support us with foodstuff and financial support to do petty trade to survive. We also need seedlings and farm inputs to do dry season farming when the floods stops”.

Atibila Mark also stated that, ” 15 acres of my maize farms have been destroyed by the spillage, and it has really affected me because I borrowed monies for the farming but all is gone. So we are appealing to government to get us some seedlings and farm inputs like tractors to do dry season farming when the floods recedes”.

Meanwhile, in the Builsa North District, 4,282 hectares of farm fields have been submerged by flood waters emanating from torrential rains.

The affected crops include maize, millet, sorghum and groundnuts.