Communities along White Volta basin appeal for evacuation assistance

Bonyamu (NR), Sept. 11, GNA - Communities along the White Volta basin in the Central Gonja district have appealed for material assistance to enable them to erect temporary shelters up-stream as a safeguard against possible hardships that may arise from the spillage of Bagre dam in Burkina-Faso. They said although news about the opening of the Bagre dam spill-way and the dangers associated with it had been communicated to them, they were unable to move upstream because they could not afford to build new shelters without the support of government and its donor partners.

Mr. Raphael Hadjor, chairman of Bonyamu community made the appeal on Wednesday at Bonyamu on behalf of communities along the White Volta Basin, when Mr. Issifu Salisu Be-Awuribe, District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area paid inspection visits to some of the communities to see how prepared they were towards the impending event. Mr. Hadjor said, "We heard of the opening of the Bagre dam and the need for us to evacuate but unfortunately there is nothing we can do about unless we get assistance elsewhere to erect tents as temporal shelter for us.

"At the moment there are many children in the communities and we cannot move them up stream where they would be at the mercy of the rain. If we don't get assistance to move we prefer to stay here and pray for God's protection than to move to places we cannot guarantee our safety," he added.

There are about 30 communities along the White Volta basin in the district, where the people are living in the danger of being carried away by floods if immediate measures are not put in place to save lives and property.

Mr. Salisu Be-Awuribe who was accompanied by the District Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Mr. Abudu Bawa, also visited Zakaria Akura, Kpongleasu and Kafulwurape communities where he interacted and advised the people to move up stream before waters from the Bagre dam caused havoc.

The DCE said NADMO was ready to supply relief items but stressed that it was necessary for the community members to help in their own small way to protect lives rather than allow the problem to get out of hand.

Water from the Bagre dam in Burkina-Faso has not yet run through the area but farmlands have already been submerged and the banks of the river is about to overflow due to several days of heavy rain, but residents say they have no means of evacuation unless something is done to alleviate their plight. 11 Sept 09