NDC’s Badaare defends Mahama’s dugout proposal as flood-control measure
NDC communicator James Badaare says Mahama’s proposed dugouts will help control flooding along the White Volta while providing water for dry-season farming.
A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chiana-Paga Constituency Communications Team, James Badaare, has defended President John Dramani Mahama’s proposal to construct dugouts as a practical intervention to mitigate flooding and support dry-season farming in the Upper East Region.
Badaare said the proposal, particularly for communities along the White Volta, should not be misconstrued as a plan to indiscriminately construct dugouts across the country.
Speaking on the Big Mike Breakfast Show on Friday, September 4, he explained that the proposed intervention is intended to help communities that are repeatedly affected by water spillages and flooding.
According to him, the dugouts would provide temporary storage for excess water, helping to reduce the volume of water reaching vulnerable communities during periods of spillage.
Badaare argued that rather than allowing excess water to cause destruction, the government’s approach seeks to divert and store the water for later productive use.
“They are proposing to create diversions, creating dugouts, that will collect the water, serving as a reservoir,” he said.
He said the stored water could subsequently be used for irrigation, providing farmers with a reliable source of water for dry-season agriculture.
Badaare maintained that the proposal therefore offers a dual benefit: reducing the destructive impact of flooding while turning excess water into a resource for agricultural production.
He said communities along the White Volta are particularly vulnerable to flooding resulting from water spillages and therefore require practical measures to manage and contain excess water.
The NDC communicator urged the public to assess the proposal based on its intended purpose and the specific needs of affected communities rather than portraying it as a blanket policy to dig dugouts across Ghana.
He also acknowledged that similar interventions had attracted criticism from his side while in opposition but insisted that the current proposal is aimed at addressing the specific challenges of flooding and water management.
Badaare said the government’s approach could ultimately transform a recurring flood challenge into an opportunity to improve agricultural productivity.
He maintained that, if properly planned and implemented, the dugouts could serve as reservoirs for irrigation, protect vulnerable communities from excessive floodwater and strengthen dry-season farming.
Mike 105.3FM I Navrongo | Elizabeth Apusaama
