- A 50-year-old farmer, Baba Takwara, tragically drowned in the White Volta at Yama in the West Mamprusi Municipality while attempting to salvage crops ahead of anticipated flooding from the Bagre Dam spillage.
- The incident occurred on August 25, 2025, as Takwara worked with a group of men near the river. His body was later recovered and buried according to Islamic rites.
- Authorities have since warned farmers and residents in lowland areas to exercise caution as water levels continue to rise.
A routine day of farming turned tragic in Yama, a community in the West Mamprusi Municipality, when 50-year-old Baba Takwara drowned in the White Volta while working to protect his crops from impending floods. The incident occurred on Monday, August 25, 2025, as Takwara and ten other men labored along the riverbank, anticipating the annual spillage from the Bagre Dam.
Takwara reportedly left the group to fetch water with a gallon container but never returned. His colleagues later spotted the container floating on the river, prompting a frantic search. His body was eventually recovered and laid to rest in accordance with Islamic customs.
The North East Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Alhaji Tahiru Rafiu, confirmed the incident and clarified that the farm itself had not yet flooded. Takwara had been harvesting in advance of the expected rise in water levels—a precaution many farmers in the region are now taking.
The Bagre and Kompienga dams in Burkina Faso, nearing full capacity, began releasing excess water on August 25. The Bagre Dam stood at 234.27 metres with a 90.24% fill rate, while the Kompienga Dam was at 177.90 metres, just shy of its retention limit. The controlled spillage is intended to protect dam infrastructure, but it poses serious risks to downstream communities in Ghana.
Residents along the White and Black Volta rivers have been urged to stay alert. Water levels are already rising, and farmers fear for their crops, many of which are still maturing. NADMO has intensified its outreach, warning against farming too close to the river and encouraging early harvesting to minimize losses.
Since the spillage began in 1999, it has become an annual ordeal for communities in the Northern, North East, Upper East, and Savannah regions. Each year brings destruction—of lives, farmland, and property—underscoring the need for stronger disaster preparedness and long-term solutions.
