Mr. Jesse Kazapoe, Head of the White Volta Basin Directorate at Ghana’s Water Resources Commission (WRC) in the Upper East Region, has said the Bagré Dam was expected to begin spilling on August 11, 2026, but spillage has not started.He explained that officials have been tracking the flow of water into the dam.
Based on current inflows, the WRC projected that the reservoir level would reach a critical point on that date. However, the dam has not yet reached the level at which discharge would begin.
Mr. Kazapoe said the Water Resources Commission, in a statement, indicated that SONABEL intends to commence controlled water spillage from the Bagré Dam once the reservoir water level reaches 234.50 metres.
The Commission is monitoring the situation and will update stakeholders and the general public on the date and time of the controlled spillage.
He added that the dam still has about two metres to go before reaching the critical level required for discharge. As of now, he can confirm that the Bagré Dam has not started spilling.Even if spillage begins,
Mr. Kazapoe said there would still be about eight to ten days before Ghana experiences major flows within its borders. “For now, there is no alarm,” he stated.
Mr. Kazapoe also highlighted the transboundary nature of the issue, noting that Burkina Faso has two major upstream dams that affect the White Volta River: the Kopienga Dam and the Bagré Dam.
He said that while Dam has been spilling over the past month through controlled discharges, the spillage has remained relatively smaller and has not caused serious harm to farmers along the White Volta.
According to him, the dam with the greatest potential impact on people in Ghana within the White Volta basin is Bagré Dam.
He further noted that as Ghana moves deeper into the rainy season, the WRC receives official communications from SONABEL every day on the dam’s progression its water levels and the percentage of filling.
Mr. Kazapoe said SONABEL sometimes informs the WRC that spilling will begin on a particular day.
However, heavy inflows can change the situation quickly meaning spillage may occur earlier than expected, or, in some cases, spilling may be postponed if inflows begin to recede.
He said there have been instances where SONABEL reported that the dam would spill “in a week,” but heavy inflows were received soon after, forcing controlled releases after three days. He indicated that, currently, there is no spillage.
Source:mywordfmonline.com/ Gaspard Adongo Ayuureneeya.