One-Village One-Dam Starts in Bongo District

By Peter Atogewe Wedam

One of the major 2016 campaign promise of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, "one-village, one-dam" (1V1D), has commenced in the Bongo District of the Upper East region with the handing over of seven dam sites to a contractor.

The dam sites included the old Apusariga-Mogre dam in the Anafobisi Electoral Area, the Asabuliga dam in Kuyelingu in the Atampiisi Electoral Area, a site in Dua-Yikine and one in Kabre among other locations. In Kudorogor however, the contractor could not take over the proposed site because the community later changed its decision on the agreed site but failed to alert the authorities for the necessary amendments to be effected.

Bongo District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Peter Ayinbisa Ayamga, who handed over the sites said it was a proof that the President would eventually deliver on all the promises he had made to the people of Ghana. He noted that just as Government had restored the nursing trainee and teacher trainee allowances as well as the roll out of the Free Senior High School programme in 2017, the citizens should have faith in the President that, all other projects will fall in line.

He disclosed that the Bongo District was earmarked to get 10 of such dams each year and that the eight made up the first phase. He said by the end of the government's four-year mandate, about 40 dams would have been constructed across the district. He disclosed that the Ministry of Special Initiatives was funding the project from the "One Million US Dollars Per Constituency" policy which was being channelled through the Northern Development Authority (NDA).

The DCE revealed that the district had earlier received a number of solar-mechanised boreholes and pour-flush toilets under the policy. He said the contractor was expected to move to site within 14 days from the day of handing over while the whole project should be completed in four months. He noted that the peak of rains in the area happens from August onwards and that the work of the contractor wouldn't be impeded.

According to Mr Ayamga, the successful completion of the 1V1D would provide ready source of water for animals, for construction purposes and more importantly, enhance socio-economic activities such as all-year-round farming to help to keep majority of youths home. He urged the contractor to employ labourers and other artisans from the communities so that they could earn a livelihood from the project while urging the communities to help guard against theft of the contractor's machines and other logistics. He noted that some property like farmlands may be destroyed in the process and asked that the contractor be pardoned since the projects were of benefit to the larger community.

The Site Engineer for the construction firm, Abooh 1 Company Ltd., Mr Douglas Twum, said his outfit had the capacity to undertake the job because they had been in similar business for the past eight years. He said after the construction, the dams would be due for major repair works from six to eight years to keep them in good shape.

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