The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) says it is temporarily shutting down its Nawuni/Dalun raw water in-take point and treatment plant in the Northern Region due to the Bagre Dam Spillage.
It has, therefore, advised residents of the regional capital Tamale and its environs to store and conserve enough potable water until supply is restored when the situation is brought under control.
A statement issued by the company in Tamale yesterday said the shutdown, based on communication received on the Spillage of the Bagre and Kompienga Dams, was to protect its equipment and installations.
“According to our Standard Operating Procedure, the maximum level of the intake dam should not exceed 36 feet but as at close of work, Thursday, September 1, 2022, the level of the in-take dam stood at 23.50 feet.
“Management would like the public and its cherished customers to understand that any operation beyond the maximum operating feet puts the water facility in jeopardy,” it said.
The statement assured the public and customers in the aforementioned areas that water supply would continue once the river level was within its standard operating levels.
The spillage of the Bagredam which takes place either in August or September every year, to prevent destruction to the dam, often results in flooding at low-lying communities in Burkina Faso and Ghana.
About 35 communities along the White Volta in the Bawku Municipality, Bawku West, Garu, Binduri, Nabdam and Talensi districts are the hardest-hit areas with vast farm lands often submerged.
Already, the Water Resources Commission (WRC) has cautioned residents along banks of the White Volta River, to take precautionary measures to avoid being adversely affected, in the face of the imminent spillage of water from the Bagre Dam.
A statement signed by Adwoa Paintsil, Acting Executive Secretary of the WRC said SONABEL, the Power Utility of Burkina Faso, on August 31, 2022, indicated that the level of water in the Bagre Dam had been rising since August 28.
“Update from SONABEL this morning indicate that the upstream level of the Bagre Dam is 234.88m and if the current rate of inflow continues, they may commence the spillage of water from the Bagre Dam by Thursday September 1, 2022,” the statement said.
It said the spillage of water would cause the White Volta River to overflow its banks and was likely to occupy its normal flood plains, adding that “This is to inform you for your further action relating to flood management.”
Meanwhile, the NADMO Coordinating Office in the Upper East Region had indicated that measures were being put in place to provide relief and accommodation for persons who might be affected by the Bagre Dam spillage.
BY TIMES REPORTER
