Residents along the white Volta basin in Northern, North East and Savannah Regions have been advised by the National Disaster Management Organizations (NADMO) to relocate to high grounds.
The NADMO advised follows warning by the SONABELY Energy in Burkina Faso. The Burkina bae authorities has informed Ghanaian authorities of their intention to spillage the Bagre dam in the coming days.
The Bagre Dam level according to SONABEL Energy as at August 24,2021 was 234.09meters as against 235 meters. The authorities have put the possible spillage date to 27 and 30th this month.
But before the opening of the dam, water level at the white Volta in Nawuni has already reached a life-threatening level.
To avoid properties being carried away, some residents in the red zone areas have started packing their belongings to neighboring communities as water draw closer to their homes.
The water according to the assembly man for Nawuni electoral in the Kumbungu district, Mr Alhassan Yussif this year is likely to be higher than last year leading panic situation among the residents.
In April last year, the chief of Dalung Naa Hamidu Mahama allocated 26 acres of land to over 86 households whose house were collapsed.
It was to help in the resettlement the homeless flood victims from Nanwuni and Afa yili and Tibung in the Kumbungu district.
In 2020, 8 communities were hit hard by the flood in Savelugu Municipality. The communities includes Suhutampia, Dipali, Tigla,Kukuobila, Kukuobil Tamalgu, Kuldanaali and Nakpanzoo and Nabogu.
The victims were ready to move and start putting up one or two bedrooms while waiting assistance from benevolent organizations but the Kumbungu assembly engineers and planning units had to assess the place and properly plan it.
This, Mr Alhassan Yussif said is yet to be done after several follow ups by him.
ECOWAS Intervention
In August 19,2021 the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) launched its Flood Relief Assistance in Northern Regions of Ghana under their Post Flood Humanitarian Intervention Project in Tamale.
Resident representative of ECOWAS in Ghana Mr Baba Gana Wakil at the launch said it was a partial fulfillment of their mandate as the regional organization to respond to disaster wherever it occurs in member state.
Mr Wakil further stated that the project was part of ECOWAS’s renewed commitment to work with nongovernmental organizations, especially faith-based community organizations who are offering effective responds when disaster strikes.
A model of shelter arrangement he added would be provide to 20 households and non-food household items also be provided to some 4000 affected people.
National Coordinator of NADMO, Nana Agyemang Prempeh said deplore a team from the national level to augment regional teams in flood prone regions in northern Ghana.
But even before ECOWAS intervention comes into fruition, warning signals of another devastating flood is already glaring at the victims.
Mr Alhassan Yussif told Zaa News his people are in a state of dilemma after several promises by NADMO and other government agencies to assist them to resettled. ” If nothing is done now before Friday, August 27, 2021, last year will be better than this year”, lamented.