Flood Alert: Bagre Dam Opens(D/G Monday, August 25, 2008 Front Page)

Story Benjamin Xornam Glover.
The floodgates to the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso have been opened. They were opened at 11am yesterday, officials of the Volta River Authority (VRA) have confirmed.The consequences of the spillage on the northern part of Ghana would be felt after 24 hours, they said.
A two-man delegation, led by the VRA’s Director of Environment, Mr Frank Atobrah, was in Burkina Faso to observe the spillage of the excess water from the dam to enable it to assess its likely effect on areas along the White and Black Volta rivers in the Upper East, Upper West and the Northern regions.The Upper East Regional Human Resource Manager of the VRA (NED), Sqn Ldr John Teye (retd), disclosed this to the Daily Graphic after a ceremony at which 30 two-unit houses were presented to victims of the 2007 floods at Chuchuliga in the Builsa District of the Upper East Region. Presenting the houses to the victims, the President of the Ghana Red Cross Society (GRCS), Prof. Stephen Adei, added his voice to calls on people living in low-lying and flood-prone areas in the Upper East Region to evacuate to safe grounds during the impending flooding to avoid loss of lives and property."It is better to secure your lives than risk living in the course of the water.
Even if you move and your houses collapse, at least your lives will be spared and we can all think about reconstructing the houses," he said. Prof. Adei, who is also the Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), said the houses were provided by the GRCS through funding from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the Canadian International Development Agencies (CIDA).The 2007 floods left in its wake loss of lives and property in some communities in Northern Ghana.
Initial assessment of the disaster led to the declaration of an emergency situation by the government.In view of that, the IOM responded to the call of the government and, with support from CIDA, sent funds to assist Ghana to mitigate the emergency situation and restore the livelihood of the affected people.Relying on its vast global experience in the provision of emergency shelter, the IOM teamed up with the GRCS to provide non-food items such as blankets, jerry cans, and tarpaulins. IOM and the GRCS also initiated the shelter project in Chuchuliga in the Upper East Region and Sug-Tampia in the northern regions to provide a total of 55 two-unit houses for the poor and vulnerable. Prof. Adei said the people could not rely on the government for everything. Therefore, there was the need for them to heed the advice to relocate.He thanked the chiefs and people of Chuchuliga for their support, which led to the successful implementation of the project.
The Head of Mission, IOM, Mr David Terzi, commended the GRCS for observing a high sense of transparency, duty and professionalism in the execution of the project.
He urged the GRCS to keep up the good work, stressing that IOM would welcome any other opportunity to collaborate with GRCS for future humanitarian interventions.
The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mrs. Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia, expressed her appreciation to IOM, the GRCS and CIDA for providing the people and their families with shelter to alleviate their suffering.
Mrs Chigabatia, who is also the MP for Builsa North, stressed the need for regular maintenance and the planting of trees around the houses to act as wind breaks.
The Chief of Chuchuliga, Nab Francis Asangalisa, said following the intervention of the GRCS, there was now greater collaboration between the people and the GRCS and IOM, adding that over 200 women in the area were organising to join the Red Cross.
He also disclosed that land had been allocated for an afforestation programme on teak and Mango to support the Red Cross Society.
Nab Asangalisa also thanked the Red Cross for securing 100 pieces of dual desk for the Chuchuliga Junior High School.
The District Coordinating Director of the Builsa District Assembly, Mr Everest Dery, joined the people to thank the benefactors for their kind gesture.