The Soe Community
in the Bolgatanga municipality of the Upper East Region and the Chief Executive
for the area have
disagreed over the construction of a dam under the One Village One Dam flagship
policy in the community.
While Joseph Amiyuure, the Municipal Chief
Executive thinks the dam was constructed at the site of a pond, the members of
the community have
disagreed with him, insisting that the dam at its present size and depth was
already in existence before the introduction of the One Village One Dam
initiative.
The community said the only work
done on the dam by Mr Amiyuure was the construction of an embankment at one
side of the dam and a spillway, which was poorly constructed and directed
towards
houses.
The disagreement took place when Madam
Tangoba Abayage, the Upper East Regional Minister paid a working visit to the
dam in the company of Mr Amiyuure, as part of her two-week tour of the region.
He was to show the Regional Minister
some of the dams and other projects being constructed in the Bolgatanga
municipality under the flagship policy.
However, during a tour of the dam in
contention, Mr Amiyuure explained that it was a small pond connected to a
stream
that was in existence before the Assembly took steps to dredge it into a big
dam with an embankment and spillway but members of the community
refuted the assertion and indicated that the dam with its current size and
depth was in existence since 1959.
Johnson
Apasinaba, former Assembly member
for the area, said the dam was considered as ancestral place and served
as tourist site for decades, was surprised for Mr Amiyuure to
claim to have constructed the dam from a pond.
Madam Abayage expressed
dissatisfaction with work on execution of project in the
community and directed him to employ community entry strategy in implementing
projects in communities.
She asked him to go back to the
community and meet residents to ensure that the right thing was done and
promised to monitor for the needs of members of community to be met.
It is expected that one dam will be
constructed in each community in the five regions of the north to provide water
for all year farming especially during the dry season and for watering of
livestock.
FROM SAMUEL AKAPULE, BOLGA-SOE
