Editorial
Find Lasting Solution to Problems Associated with Bagre Dam Spillage
In last week’s issue of The Spectator, we carried a story headlined, “Annual Bagre Dam Spillage, a Blessing or a Curse?”
The story revealed that the spillage of the dam by the management of Burkina Faso has become a perennial challenge for many farming communities along the White and Black Volta basins in the northern part of Ghana.
While thousands of people are displaced, farmers count their losses yearly as entire fields of maize, groundnuts, and rice vanish beneath raging waters. We are also told that mud-walled houses crumble under the force of the floods, roads connecting villages disappear, schools close, and classrooms are turned into makeshift shelters for displaced families.
Although the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) rushes in with relief items such as mattresses, blankets, and bags of rice to mitigate the impact of the flooding, these items — though vital — are often insufficient compared to the magnitude of devastation.
The situation is worrying, but the problem has not been fully addressed, as it has for years caused destruction downstream in many communities, especially among farmers.
It is a pity that, though NADMO continues to urge residents in flood-prone areas across the Upper East, North East, Savannah, and Northern Regions to relocate to safer grounds, for many, relocation is not an option. Their livelihoods are tied to fertile riverbanks, and abandoning their farms would mean giving up the only source of income they know.
Ironically, amidst the destruction, the same flood that wreaks havoc also deposits nutrient-rich silt on farmlands, making them more fertile for dry-season farming.
It is therefore time for the government to construct proper irrigation systems so that these communities can turn disaster into opportunity — using the water to grow crops in the dry season to sustain themselves.
It is also time for the long-promised construction of the Pwalugu Multi-Purpose Dam in the Upper East Region to come to fruition. This project would serve as a buffer for excess water from the Bagre Dam and generate electricity.
There is also the need to control the spillage by starting it gradually each month instead of waiting until the dam is full before releasing the water at once.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) should enforce strict measures to prevent construction in flood-prone areas.
Before each spillage begins, ample time should be given to residents through public announcements to enable them to move to safer places ahead of time. Besides traditional media such as radio and television, The Spectator urges authorities to also engage traditional and religious leaders in spreading such messages to ensure residents receive the information early.
We are told the spillage of the dam is necessary to prevent it from collapsing when water levels exceed safe limits. However, it continues to create havoc and has become a yearly cycle of loss and recovery.
The spillage of the Bagre Dam is a recurring disaster that demands an urgent and lasting solution to make life better for residents and farmers.
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Basic education is widely considered a fundamental human right for all children, regardless of their community, age, or background. Providing good educational infrastructure is critical, as it directly influences educational quality, academic performance, and overall community development. The physical environment of schools shapes the future of children, who are the leaders of tomorrow.
However, the Nanvili Community School in the Mion district of the Northern Region faces severe infrastructural challenges, negatively affecting teaching and learning. The school serves five surrounding communities, with a total of 58 pupils. Observations during a visit revealed that the classrooms have deteriorated so badly that many children have stopped attending classes.
The poor condition of classrooms and lack of desks has made teaching and learning extremely difficult. More concerning is that the three gate-free classrooms are filled with goat and sheep droppings, creating a health hazard for pupils. During the rainy season, teachers and students are often cut off from the school due to bad roads and flooding, leading to weeks of suspended teaching activities, which further affects academic performance.
The Assemblyman for the area, Mr. Dawuni Mutawakil, expressed worry that pupils from Nanvili are expected to compete with their counterparts in urban areas who have access to better facilities. He emphasized the urgent need to provide desks and adequate classroom space to separate the merged classes.
The Chief of Nanvili, Abu Kassim, also appealed to the government and non-governmental organizations to assist the community. He noted that the current state of the school discourages children from nearby communities from attending, further highlighting the need for urgent intervention.
The Spectator joins local leaders in calling for immediate action to improve infrastructure and provide furniture, ensuring quality education for children in the Nanvili community.
By Geoffrey Buta, Nanvili, Northern Region
Spectator
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Dear Editor,
As December fast approaches and Christmas shopping begins, I wish to draw the attention of the Municipal and District Assemblies to the urgent need for measures that ensure orderliness in public spaces.
A few months after decongestion exercises were carried out in various municipalities, it appears that drivers and hawkers who were moved to designated areas are gradually returning. As a regular visitor to Accra Central and Nkrumah Circle, I have observed that hawkers are slowly filling pavements that had been cleared.
During the decongestion period, we hoped that hawkers would remain off the pavements entirely to allow commuters to move freely. However, while boundaries were marked with red paint, the hawkers are gradually encroaching beyond these limits, significantly narrowing the space left for pedestrians.
What is particularly concerning is that this is happening in full view of authorities, whose officers patrol the area daily. With the Christmas season approaching, these pavements will become even more congested as hawkers attempt to occupy every available space.
This is the time for Municipal and District Assemblies to assert their presence and enforce rules to prevent the situation from worsening. A stitch in time saves nine, and proactive measures now will prevent larger problems later.
By Regina Amoh, Accra
Spectator
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