– For How Long Should This Annual Killing Ritual and
Property Destruction Continue?
Steve Y. Acheampong, Ph.D.
Over the past several years it has become an annual ritual by our northern neighbors
in Burkina Faso to release water from the Bagre Dam which causes flooding in parts
of northern Ghana and kills a number of unsuspecting persons and destroys property.
As at the time of writing, it has been reported that the death toll for this year is
up to seventeen (Ghanaweb, September 11, 2010) and damages to property have not as
yet been quantified. This annual occurrence makes me wonder if there is any
regional or bilateral framework for the management of the water resources of the
Volta River among the Volta River basin states.
Currently it appears that Burkina Faso operates and manages its dams on the Volta
River without any regard to the needs and safety of their Ghanaian counterparts
downstream. If this continues, it is bound to create fear and unnecessary tensions
among the border communities. Rather than waiting till the rainy season before
releasing water from the dam, Ghana and Burkina Faso can reach an agreement whereby
water can be released in various manageable quantities from the dam at various times
throughout the year to minimize the excessive one time release and flooding during
the rainy season. Such releases can be guided by the established minimum and
maximum operating levels of the dams. The two countries can reach an agreement on
the general principles instead of detailed prescriptions to guide them in matters
and operations that could affect the natural water levels or flows across the
boundary to an extent that could cause injury to health or property in either
country. Such principles should provide clear guidance that can stand the test of
time. It is believed that both countries have compiled water resources data on the
Volta River that can be used to define the status and trends of water resources
availability through time to support any regional and national management actions.
Agreements on transboundary water bodies among various nations are quite common and
this will come in handy if and when the proposed Bui Dam is completed and comes into
operation. As population growth and global climate change put stresses on natural
resources, reliable structures for transboundary and regional cooperation is
becoming more important than ever so the two countries in particular, and all the
Volta River Basin states in general, should come out with some agreements on the
utilization and management of the Volta River in order to preserve life, property,
and the ecosystem.
An alternative approach to curtail the annual flooding and destruction resulting
from the releases from the dam is that the Ghana government should construct some
reservoirs on the river at some strategic locations to receive the excess water
during such times. If such water is managed well, it could be used for farming,
drinking or recreational purposes during the year. The Water Resources Commission,
the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry for Water, Works and Housing should
come out with a plan to curb this annual occurrence that takes the lives of innocent
people and causes immeasurable property loss and wanton destruction of the
ecosystem. One death is one too many.
Steve Y. Acheampong, Ph.D. jawara@cox.net
