SONABEL, the power utility company of Burkina Faso, will commence the spillage of the Bagre Dam on Monday, 19 August 2024.
The company indicated that the water level in the Bagre Dam has been rising since Friday, 2 August 2024.
This information was contained in a statement signed by Jesse Kazapoe, Head of the White Volta Basin of the Water Resources Commission.
The statement noted that an update from SONABEL indicated that the upstream level of the Bagre Dam is 232.82 metres and rising. The spillage of water may cause the White Volta River to overflow its banks and likely extend into its normal flood plains.
The statement called on residents along the White Volta to take precautionary measures to avoid adverse effects. Areas in the Upper East Region to be affected include Bawku West, Binduri, and Talensi, as they receive direct inflows from the spillage.
“The Water Resources Commission was notified by SONABEL on Friday, August 16th, 2024 that the water level in the Bagre Dam has been steadily rising since Friday, August, 2024”, parts of the statement read.
Bawku Municipal, Pusiga, Garu, Tempane, and Nabdam will be indirectly affected due to their tributaries that receive inflows from the White Volta River. Additionally, Kasena-Nankana West, Builsa North, and Builsa South will be affected due to backflow from the Sissili River.
The spillage of the Bagre Dam has been known to cause significant damage to farmlands and other properties in the aforementioned areas. It is recalled that one of the major reasons President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam project on November 29, 2019, was to manage the water from the Bagre Dam.
The Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam project is intended to serve as a flood control mechanism for Bagre Dam spillage, provide irrigation for over 25,000 hectares of farmland, and generate 60 MW of hydroelectric power.
However, the construction of the dam remains in limbo, almost five years after the sod-cutting ceremony.