Bui Dam not an environmental threat to Cote d’Ivoire
The Bui Power Authority has confirmed receiving a letter from Ivorian authorities over the likely environmental and social impact of the Bui Hydroelectric Dam project on that country.
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It said, however, that those concerns had been brought to the attention of the Ghana government on several occasions which received appropriate responses from the Bui Power Authority.
Responding to the latest letter, the Assistant External Relations Officer of the authority, Mr Mawuli Fui Kwadzovia, said our “Ivorian counterparts have no concerns”.
He said after the Bui Hydroelectric Dam was first envisaged in 1925 by the British-Australian geologist and naturalist, Albert Ernest Kitson, when he visited the Bui Gorge, so many studies had been carried out to see its impact on the people.
He said as a result of the study, and to forestall any negative impact, the full supply of the reservoir that was originally pegged at 198 metres was reduced to 183 metres to avoid any flooding.
According to Mr Kwadzovia, even before the project commenced in December, 2009, “we conducted Environmental Social Impact Assesment Study in 2006”.
He explained further that the authority in January 2010 wrote to the Ivorian authorities to allay their fears again after series of studies had been carried out, which proved no danger to the Ivorian authorities.
A letter dated June 17, 2013, is circulating in the Ghanaian media allegedly signed by the Chief of Staff of the Ivorian government, Mr Kalou Emmanuel, and copied to Ghana’s Ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire.
It said in part that, “I have the honour to inform you that the Regional Office of Waters and Forests of Bondoukou reported to the Ministry in charge of Waters and Forests informing it about the commissioning of a hydroelectric dam built by Ghana on the Black Volta River in the Bui village, which is located at about 50km from the northern border with Cote d'Ivoire and its possible consequences on our territory”.
The letter accused the Ghanaian government of building the dam without consultation with Cote d’Ivoire, an action they claimed was “in total violation of the international regulations in force, regarding cross-border projects”.
The letter has, therefore, called on the Ghanaian authorities to carry out an environmental and social impact study in the area to agree with the Ivorian government on the measures to be taken to mitigate the consequences related to the operation of the dam.
The Bui Hydroelectric Dam, located 50km from the Ghana-Ivory Coast border on the Black Volta, is expected to provide about 400 megawatts of power to Ghana when it becomes fully operational by the end of 2013.
By Timothy Gobah & Della Russel Ocloo
