Agricultural Research Scientist, Professor Roger Kanton, has encouraged Ghanaians to view the annual spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso as an opportunity, particularly for boosting agricultural productivity in the northern regions, rather than a disaster.
Recent reports indicate that farmlands along the Kubore River in the Northeast region have been completely submerged following the Bagre Dam spillage, compounded by heavy rainfall in the area.
While the annual spillage typically causes significant damage to farms and properties, especially in the Upper East and North East regions, Prof. Kanton suggests that this influx of water can be strategically harnessed to enhance agricultural output in these areas.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, Prof. Kanton said “Coming back to the Bagre Dam I see it to be a blessing. I have told you before Israel, even over a decade, Israel may not even get up to about 20mm of rainfall yet they export the highest numbers of vegetables and goods to the European and American markets. why? Because they have [Israel irrigation system] So if Burkina is throwing this water at us, it is a blessing, it shouldn’t come as a curse. It is strategically are we, tactically are we in preparedness in harvesting this water,” he stated.
Prof. Kanton further emphasised the potential of building larger, multi-purpose dams in the region, particularly in areas like Kubore, where water from the dam can be harvested and used to irrigate farms.
He also questioned the focus on the One-Village-One-Dam (1V1D) initiative, suggesting that investing in larger dams in water-rich areas could have been more beneficial.
“There are two things; you can have a multipurpose Pwalugu dam, which is preferable, But even before the One-Village-One-Dam (1V1D) that they talked about, I have said that Upper East is the region that is replete with water bodies. In fact, the Upper East doesn’t need this 1V1D.
“They should have put all the money into the Kubore area to have a bigger dam there. So, that all the water that comes will be harvested there and can be discharged as and when needed to irrigate in Ghana,” he added.
