Spilled water from Bagre Dam destroys farms

Some farmers in the Talensi and Bawku West districts of the Upper East Region are devastated following the destruction of their farms by the excess water being spilled from the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso. One of the farmers at Pwalugu in the Talensi District, Mr Iddrisu Baba, told the Daily Graphic that his two-acre yellow melon and� maize farm had all been destroyed by the water from the Bagre Dam. He expressed disappointment that such a situation happened at the time he was preparing to harvest the produce. According to him, the situation was going to have serious financial implication for his immediate family. Mr Baba explained that he invested the proceeds from the onion farm he cultivated in the dry season in the yellow melon and maize farm which had been destroyed. Unfortunately, he said "all that investment is gone down the drain". He explained that he usually got GH�200 a day from the sale of the yellow melon. "I used� a water pumping machine to water the yellow melon and maize until the rains started falling and I stopped but now that it is time for me to harvest the produce, look at what has happened." Bagre Dam education Mr Baba indicated that the National Disaster Management Organisation�s (NADMO) alert and public education on the spillage was done too late. According to him, a day after the NADMO officials had carried out a public education programme, he and his colleagues witnessed the effects of the spillage on their farms. Appeal He, therefore, entreated the government to come to the aid of the farmers in the flood-prone areas. Meanwhile NADMO officials in the Upper East Region have warned farmers in the Talensi, Bawku West, Binduri and other areas where the White Volta passes not to go to their respective farms as it was risky. The authorities of Burkina Faso reportedly gave information about the Bagre spillage on Monday.