Assessing the impact of bagre dam spillage in the pru east district of Brong Ahafo region

Abstract

According to the World Commission on Dams (WCD, 2000) the global debate about dams is overwhelmingly complex and at the same time fundamentally simple. It is complex because the issues on dams are not limited to, design, construction and operation of dams themselves, but give support to a range of social, economic, environmental and political choices on which the human aspiration to development and improved well-being depend on. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of Bagre dam spillage along the on the Volta Basin in the Pru East District. The study identifies environmental, health and economic implications among others on the spillage of Bagre Dam in the Pru East District. The qualitative design of case study was used for the study. Respondents were selected using the purposive sampling technique and sample size of seventy-three (73) was chosen. Data collected for the study were mainly through primary and secondary sources. Statistical tools such as the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) were used to gather and generate data, and data were presented in the form of charts, tables and graphs. Results show that the spillage of dam destroys afforestation in the affected communities, and also has significant impact on the social and economic livelihood of the inhabitants. From the findings, it was observed that ten (10) respondents representing 13% showed that the dam spillage has caused a lot of erosion and has forced the land or the soil to lose its structural of nutrients. It was observed that 23 (31%) respondents have lost their place habitat which threatened the natural existence of inhabitants rest due to the Bagre Dam spillage. It was observed that, the environment suffers most whenever, there is the spillage of the dam.