The Marine Police Unit of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has arrived in the Upper East Region to assist the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to deal with any eventuality of the spillage of the Bagre and Kompienga dams in Burkina Faso.
The Public Relations Officer of the Upper East Regional Police Command, ASP Fianko Okyere, who disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times here on Sunday said the GPS had taken all the necessary measures to help NADMO deal with any eventuality should the authorities in Burkina Faso spill the dams.
He stated that the Regional Police Command took notice about the annual spillage of the Bagre and Kompienga dams in Burkina Faso and its effects among communities in the region, and indicated that since the Command got the information that both dams were likely to be opened last Friday, measures had been put in place to deal with the situation.
“In view of this the Upper East Regional Police command has put some concrete measures in place with the support of the Police administration we have received the Marine Police Unit in the region who are currently on standby at the regional police headquarters in Bolgatanga. They are already positioned at the various flood spots and areas likely to be affected by the spillage,” he said.
He explained that as part of the preparation towards supporting NADMO in dealing with the floods, the Marine Police Unit would help divert some of the roads in the flood prone areas to pave way for easy vehicular movement during the floods.
The spillages of the dams were scheduled to take place from Friday, August 27 to August 30, 2021 as announced by the authorities of Burkina Faso but the spillage has not yet taken place.
The annual spillage of the two dams usually lead to the loss of lives, domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and destruction of farm produce.
Meanwhile, NADMO including the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana had earlier on appealed to the farmers living along the White and Black Volta basin which are the routes of the spillage to evacuate from the areas to avert any danger.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, BOLGATANGA
