Excess Bagre dam water displaces thousands in Buipe

Thousands of residents of Buipe in the Central Gonja District of the Savanna Region have been displaced by the excess water spilt from the Bagre dam. More than 1,000 households have been submerged while more than 1,000 residents have been rendered homeless in the business hub of Buipe. The paramount chief of the Buipe traditional area, Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor II, in an interview with Class 91.3 FM, appealed to philanthropists and other bodies to come to the aid of his people since many properties have, so far, been lost with academic activities brought to a standstill. The district chief executive for Central Gonja, Mr Salia Kamara, explained that the situation happens every 10 years and plans are underway to construct a bigger drainage system that will help reduce the levels of water that enter the area. "Many of the affected residents have been forced to leave their homes" due to the flood disaster, he said. "The flooding has also led to the destruction of property and other valuables in people’s homes and workplaces," he noted. The areas that have been hardest hit include the Buipe cattle market, which is the largest in the region. Residents have, thus, called on the government to put in place urgent measures to address the issue, as sanitation has also become a major issue with toilet facilities and refuse dumps washed by the flood waters.