Government to rehabilitate 10 dams

The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has cut the sod for the rehabilitation of 10 dams across the northern part of the country.

The dams are expected to serve as reservoirs for the spilt water from the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso which has been causing perennial flooding and damage to both crops and households in that part of the country.

Each of the dams will be about 305 metres high and bordered by 2.5 acres of tree cover to prevent them from drying up.

The $200,000 project, funded from the UN Adaptation Fund, will serve 50 communities and is expected to be completed within six months.

The project, which is part of a climate change intervention, is being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with MESTI.

The sod-cutting ceremony was part of the minister’s three-day tour of the five regions of the north.

Among communities visited were Chache, Kakease, Takpo, Goli, Walembelle and Bugubelle in the Savannah, Upper West and Upper East regions.

Visits

The minister also visited communities where other Adaptation Fund projects, including agro-processing ventures, vegetable farming and boreholes, had been undertaken.

At Chache in the Bole District, he inspected a sheanut and groundnut processing plant which was built with local materials to add value to shea and groundnuts.

There were also vegetable farms for women to provide them with alternative livelihoods during the dry season.

The farms are well irrigated and fenced to prevent destruction by animals.

The land was prepared for the women, who have been divided into groups and supplied with inputs such as improved seedlings and technical advice.

Their produce is sold to schools and the public.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng appealed to them to help preserve the environment, especially around the Black Volta which flowed across the regions. He also advised them to invest in the education of their children.

Satisfaction

The District Chief Executive for Nadowli, Ms Katherine Lankono, expressed satisfaction with the various projects, which she said had not only eased the pressure on the environment but also provided alternative livelihood support for the people.

At Goli, one of the beneficiaries of vegetable farms, Mrs Mary Datua, on behalf of the women groups, expressed appreciation for the support.