Dr Mahamadu Bawumia paying traditional obeisance in the Upper East Region
Vice-President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia has reiterated the President’s assurance over a search for a lasting solution to the annual disasters that claim lives and destroy property of people and communities in some districts in the Upper East Region due to spilled water from the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso.
“… we have been dealing with this flooding issue annually and so we have got to look for a lasting solution. Authorities at the Bagre Dam continue to spill excess water and end up causing havoc here, and that is why this issue has to be tackled fundamentally and in a way that solves it in the long term,” Dr. Bawumia noted.
The Vice-President and some Ministers including the Aviation Minister, Joseph Kofi Adda; the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery; and the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul; and the NADMO Boss, Eric Nana Agyeman Prempeh over the weekend toured some flood-affected areas in the Upper East Region to ascertain the level of destruction and possibly get local suggestions over how to address the perennial flooding of communities.
Prior to addressing some affected flood victims at Tongo in the Talensi District, the team had visited Kologo in the Kassena-Nankana West District, Siniesi in the Builsa North District and Navrongo in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality, where people and households were still counting their losses due to the effect of flooding.
Dr. Bawumia gave an assurance that government is really interested in finding a lasting solution and even ways to turn the excess water from the Bagre Dam and the heavy downpours in the Upper East Region into a useful resource for agriculture and other uses, urging the people of the affected areas to be hopeful.
According to him, President Akufo-Addo’s invitation of the President of the Republic of Burkina Faso to Ghana was the first step towards the search for the lasting solution and that gives an indication that government is really committed to a lasting solution.
CONSTRUCTION OF PWALUGU MULTI-PURPOSE DAM
Dr. Bawumia ignited a discussion over the construction of a Multi-Purpose Dam at Pwalugu again at the Tongo durbar. As expected, the Pwalugu Dam if constructed will collect a lot of water for irrigation and hydro electrification purpose and will prevent the White and Black Volta and other tributaries from overflowing their banks.
The families of some two deceased persons who lost their lives due to the flood at Gorogo and Tongo had GH¢ 5,000 each and also benefitted from some relief items, including mattresses, packed water, insecticides and food items given by the Vice-President on behalf of government to be distributed to registered victims of the flood disaster in the Talensi District.
FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Tongo