Death Toll In North East Flood Rises To 6
The deceased, namely Amanita Adjei, 42, and Anaab Akumayini, 39, were said to have drowned last Saturday while using a canoe to salvage their crops that had been submerged by the floodwaters.
Days of downpour and spillage from the Bagre dam in Burkina Faso have resulted in massive flooding of areas down the White Volta.
This year’s opening of the spill gates to release water from the Bagre Dam is the earliest since 2007. The spill gates were opened on August 10, which is three weeks ahead of the earliest date previously recorded.
So far, the daily average rate of release from the dam has been quite high, between 76.5 cubic metres per second (m3/sec) and 473.1 m3/sec, with an exceptional rate of 1,108.02 m3/sec released on August 27, 2020.
Already, more than 1,000 people across the region are said to have been displaced, with large acres of farmlands submerged.
There are fears that the death toll could rise as the rains continue.
The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) is still assessing the extent of the damage.
Some major towns and communities have also been cut off from the regional capital, Nalerigu, making it difficult for the inhabitants to access services at the capital.