Bagre Dam Spillage Starts Today …Commuters Warn To Relocate

The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) has urged residents and settlers along the Bagre Dam to evacuate immediately, following confirmation that the annual spillage will begin earlier than scheduled.

In an update issued on Saturday, August 23, 2025, the authorities of SONABEL, managers of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso, revealed that water levels have risen faster than expected.

The spillage, initially planned for Wednesday, August 27, will now take place on Monday, August 25, 2025.

According to SONABEL, the Bagre Dam currently stands at an elevation of 234.27 meters, representing 90.24% of its filling rate, just 0.73 meters below its maximum retention level.

Similarly, the Kompienga Dam is at 177.90 meters, with a filling rate of 79.36%, and 2.10 meters below its normal retention level.

NADMO warns that the spillage, which occurs annually, often leads to severe flooding along the Black Volta basin, resulting in displacement, loss of lives, snakebites, and destruction of farmlands.

“NADMO is calling on all communities in low-lying areas to move to safer grounds before the spillage begins to avoid any casualties,” part of the statement reads.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the Upper East Region has indicated that the full impact of the Bagre Dam spillage is yet to be experienced.

This follows reports of extensive flooding of farmlands along the Kubore River in the Upper East Region, caused by heavy rainfall coinciding with the dam’s spillage.

In an interview on Citi FM, Upper East Regional Director of NADMO, Jerry Asamane, clarified that the submersion of the farmlands was mainly due to the rainfall rather than the dam’s spillage.

He stressed that the most significant effects of the dam’s spillage are still expected.

Mr Asamane assured the public that NADMO is closely monitoring the situation and has taken steps to minimize potential damage and ensure residents’ safety.

“We are at the sensitisation stage and helping people to get out of the riverbanks. The radio stations have given us also the opportunity. We have bought airtime, and we have spoken…But the real impact of the Bagre Dam has not yet been felt as people are saying.

“They let out water early on just to reduce the pressure on the walls of the dam. Yes, those waters came down and we are realising that water levels are increasing but the water from the Bagre dam has not yet flooded the place,” he explained.