Koko Oppong Nkrumah
THE NEW Patriotic Party (NPP) administration has warned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to stop what it terms as the propaganda against the One Village One Dam (1V1D) project.
According to the Government in a release issued and signed by Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, 99 percent of the 1V1D projects are without incident.
That, it said, was contrary to claims by the opposition party that the 1V1D was a “deceptive exercise.”
The statement indicated that “the Akufo-Addo administration takes note of attempts by the opposition NDC, to continuously disparage national programs, in their bid to downplay the benefits of such programs to the Ghanaian people.”
It said “the latest is the claim by the NDC that the One-Village-One Dam Program is a deceptive exercise.”
“The Administration reminds the opposition that: during the tenure of the NDC, the Mahama administration offered no credible responses when the people in the beneficiary communities requested for dams to support their farming”, the statement said.
In the 2016 electioneering campaign, the minister indicated that the NDC again offered no credible response when requests were made for dams.
It stated that “the current 1V1D Program is a solution to the irrigation challenges of the northern regions.”
The statement underscored that the NDC would be best served if they provide alternative programs to tackle the irrigation problems of the beneficiary communities rather than the
usual resort to name calling.
Currently, it said “300 dams are under construction. Four out of the three 300 dams, representing 1.3%, are the only ones to have recorded challenges.”
“These include ongoing works at the dam at Kajelo in the Kassena-Nankana West District which was damaged by unexpected rainfall.”
It noted that “the damage has since been rectified. It is these four (4), that the NDC (which continuously fails to provide alternative solutions to the irrigation challenges up north), suggests are evidence of a failed program which has caused financial loss to the State. About 99% of the projects are proceeding without incident.”
According to the statement, some of the projects have already started serving the beneficiary communities well.
“Seventy (70) of the dams in the
Upper East Region will be available for use before the peak of the rainy season. The remaining dams are expected to be completed after the rainy season.”
It added that “therefore, the claim that only 40 dams have so far been constructed is another one of the usual falsehoods the NDC often attempts to feed the Ghanaian public with.”
It said “With reference to the model of the dams being constructed, it must be noted that the beneficiary communities in requesting for the dams did not request an Akosombo-like type of dam.”
“The model and specification of dams requested for under this Program are the exact type known to the people in the beneficiary communities.”
BY Melvin Tarlue