THE WHITE VOLTA SUB-BASIN - Sustainable Irrigation Development in the White Volta Sub-Basin - page 38

Dam on the White Volta in Burkina Faso. It is worth noting that the 'no
objection' was required by financiers of the project and not out of the
realization by Burkina Faso of a need to coordinate the use of the shared
water resources (Ministry of Works and Housing 1998).
Further interest in a transboundary water management structure on the
Volta gained momentum in 1998, when the reduced water levels at the
Akosombo dam led to an energy crisis in Ghana. Prior to that, there was
destructive flooding of parts of upper Ghana in 1994. Such events were
attributed to preventable events in Burkina Faso, calling for an urgent need
to deepen existing cooperation and ultimately to establish formal
transboundary agreements on the development and management of the Volta
(Ministry of Works and Housing 1998).

A Water Governance Project (2004-2006) sponsored by World Conservation
Union (IUCN), in collaboration with Global Water Partnership (GWP), was
designed to improve water governance in the White Volta sub-basin, with a
focus on Ghana and Burkina Faso. Currently there is no joint management
of the White Volta sub-basin between the riparian countries.

2.5.4 Description of Study Sites

For the present study detailed field work was conducted in three
transboundary neighbouring catchments located in the White Volta sub-
basin. These are the Anayari, Atankwidi and Yarigatanga catchments. The
Anayari catchment covers 446km 2 , the Atankwidi 275km 2 and the
Yarigatanga 375km 2 . The study area covers about 1% of the White Volta
sub-basin. Forty percent of the Anayari is located in Ghana and the rest in
Burkina Faso; 55% of Atankwidi in Ghana and the rest in Burkina Faso; and
80% of the Yarigatanga in Ghana with the rest in Burkina Faso. The study
sites have an average annual rainfall of 1100mm/a.
In the Ghana section the three catchments are located in the Upper East
Region, specifically in the Bongo, Bolgatanga and Kasena Nankana Districts.
In Burkina Faso the three catchments are located in the Nahouri Province.