Upper East Regional Minister reaffirms government commitment to Pwalugu Dam project
The Minister said the dam, when completed, would provide a permanent solution to the recurring floods triggered annually by the controlled spillage of the Bagre Dam from neighbouring Burkina Faso.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugre Atanga, has reassured residents that the government remains committed to reconstructing the long-awaited Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam, a project considered key to ending the region’s perennial flooding challenges.
Speaking to the press on Monday August 25, Minister Atanga said the dam, when completed, would provide a permanent solution to the recurring floods triggered annually by the controlled spillage of the Bagre Dam from neighbouring Burkina Faso.
According to him, the government is currently reviewing the expenditure framework for the project, which was prepared by the previous administration. He explained that construction works will resume once the assessment process is completed.
“We are at a level of assessing the expenditure that was committed during the NPP regime, and then to be able to now decide as to how we can move ahead with it, it is part of the government and NDC reset agenda, and for that matter, it will be worked on.”
Atanga further gave assurances that the region is adequately prepared to mitigate the effects of this year’s Bagre Dam spillage.
He disclosed that his office has already made requests to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) for logistics and emergency relief supplies to be deployed swiftly to support residents who may be displaced by flooding.
“We have written to NADMO to ask for relief attempts in readiness that in the event that the spillage affects the people who are living around or along the white volta basin.
The Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam, once constructed, is also expected to serve as a major source of irrigation for agriculture, provide hydroelectric power, and contribute to the socio-economic transformation of the Upper East Region and beyond.
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