A Political Scientist and Head of the Centre for European Studies at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asah Asante, has called on government to make the construction of the long-delayed Pwalugu Dam a top priority, describing it as the lasting solution to recurring floods and poor water management in northern Ghana.
Speaking on Joy News’ AM Show today, Dr. Asante explained that the proposed dam would help regulate the huge volumes of water that often cause floods whenever spillage occurs upstream.
“The real solution, if you talk to people on the ground, they will tell you, is the construction of the Pwalugu Dam. That dam, if constructed, would take this volume of water, make use of it, and the excess would be used for irrigation,” he said.
He stressed that the project would also ease pressure on the Akosombo Dam by holding back significant volumes of water before its passage downstream, thereby improving the country’s hydro resource management.
Dr. Asante, however, expressed concern about the prolonged delays and alleged mismanagement surrounding the project. Despite reports of about $12 million already being committed to the dam, he noted that there is still no visible sign of progress.
“Experts on the ground will tell you that the construction of the Pwalugu Dam is the sine qua non to dealing with this problem. And why is my country failing in this? You and I are alive to the fact that $12 million has gone into the dam, and to date, we don’t have evidence of that,” he lamented.
He further urged government to hold accountable those responsible for the stalled project, emphasizing “I want to use this occasion to tell government that whoever is responsible for the construction of the dam, which we never had, must be able to answer questions.”
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Source: Frederick Thompson Quartey/ATLFMNEWS
