Vice President Dr. Mahmudu Bawumia has assured that Queiroz Galvao, the Brazilian Construction firm constructing the Bolgatanga Bawku road will immediately move to fix the broken portion of the road caused by the overflow of water.
According to the Vice President who visited the scene at Kubore in the Bawku West District of the Upper East region, the recent flood situation which has caused damages including the collapse of houses, washing away of bridges and roads, submerging farmlands amongst others has been compounded by both heavy rains and the spillage of the Bagre Dam.
“We have really been hit with a double wand. We always know about the perennial spillage from the Bagre Dam. Last year they were spilling around 8 million gallons a minute. We were reasonably able to control it. Last year, a lot of desilting of rivers took place and the impact of the spillage was relatively controlled,” he said.
Dr. Bawumia however indicated that the volume of water being spilled from the Bagre Dam has gone up to about 29 million gallons per minute, this he noted exacerbated the flood situation amidst heavy rainfalls.
While pledging to support victims of the disaster in the area including stranded drivers and travelers, the Vice President indicated that plans have been put in place to immediately fix the eroded portions of the road and the affected Kubore Bridge for access by vehicles.
Four persons in the Upper East region have died from the recent heavy rains that have caused houses to collapse and severe flood situations in several parts of the region.
According to the National Disaster Management Organisation, two persons died in the Binduri District, one in the Talensi District and another in the Builsa North District all in the upper east region.
Hundreds of travelers and vehicles have been stuck on the stretch as officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation and the Police have mounted a barricade, to prevent anyone from attempting to cross the invisible bridge and portions of the road.
