Tragedy at Yama: 55-Year-Old Farmer Drowns in White Volta

A 55-year-old farmer, identified as Baba Takwara, has drowned in the White Volta at Yama, a farming community in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the North East Region. The incident occurred on Monday, August 25, 2025, while he was working on his farm with a group of other farmers.

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According to reports, Takwara and about 10 others were harvesting crops planted along the White Volta in anticipation of possible flooding following the Bagre Dam spillage. He reportedly went to fetch water from the river with a gallon but never returned. His colleagues later found the gallon floating on the water, which led to a search that ended with the recovery of his body.

The North East Regional Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Alhaji Tahiru Rafiu, confirmed the incident. He explained that the deceased is believed to have slipped into the river and drowned, as he could not swim to safety.

He clarified that the farmland itself was not flooded at the time of the tragedy, but the deceased was working in anticipation of flooding from the dam spillage. The body has since been buried according to Islamic rites.

Alhaji Rafiu urged farmers to avoid working too close to the riverbanks during this period and advised residents of low-lying communities to remain vigilant, as water levels are expected to rise further in the coming days.

Spillage of Bagre Dam

On the same day, SONABEL, Burkina Faso’s national electricity company, began releasing excess water from the Bagre Dam due to rising levels in both the Bagre and Kompienga dams.

As of Saturday, August 23, 2025, the Bagre Dam recorded a water elevation of 234.27 metres, representing a filling rate of 90.24%, just 0.73 metres below its maximum retention level. Similarly, the Kompienga Dam stood at 177.90 metres, with a filling rate of 79.36%—only 2.10 metres short of its normal capacity.

The controlled spillage is intended to protect the dam’s infrastructure from potential damage. However, communities downstream along the Black and White Volta have been cautioned to prepare for possible flooding.

Checks by the Daily Graphic revealed that water levels in both rivers have already begun to rise, heightening fears of flooding in lowland communities. Farmers remain particularly anxious as many crops are yet to be harvested, with cereals at varying stages of growth.

Residents within the Volta basin are bracing for what has become an annual ritual since the Bagre Dam’s spillage began in 1999. Over the years, the phenomenon has claimed numerous lives while destroying vast farmlands and properties worth millions of Ghana cedis in the Northern, North East, Upper East, and Savannah regions.