By Godfred A. Polkuu, GNA
Bolgatanga, Oct. 23, GNA – Chiefs in the the Upper East Region have been schooled on the feasibility studies, scope of work and the importance of the Pwalugu Multi-Purpose Irrigation Dam project.
It is estimated to cost about $1 billion US Dollars.
Mr Eric Samuel Adu-Dankwa, the Deputy Director of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) who addressed the Chiefs at a sensitisation programme in Bolgatanga, said the irrigation component of the project was planned in the 1960s, and it was welcome news for government to develop the project.
He said the total area to be developed was about 24,000 hectares, out of which 20,000 hectares would be cultivated by gravity irrigation, “what it means is that you just open a main valve or some few valves and you will have water flowing to spray on the crops.”
He said the remaining 4,000 hectares would use the pump scheme, reserved for commercial farmers, and explained that, the system of farming would be arranged such that 30 per cent of the area would be used for small scale farming for the indigenous people, and about 70 per cent for commercial farmers.
Mr Adu-Dankwa said there would be mixed cropping, “we will mix the commercial farmers with the indigenous people so that they can support the small holder farmers.”
He said the main component of the scheme was to have a reservoir with an opening for water to flow through various primary and secondary canals including; roads, bridges and other hydraulic structures that would facilitate the flow of water to the farm lands.
The Deputy Director said the scheme would be developed in a way that water application would be flexible for farmers to use centre pivots, sprinklers, and drip system among others to tap water for use.
“To ensure sustainability, we will have a scheme management entity taking care of the operation and maintenance of the scheme,” he said.
He said the main crops to be grown would be industrial crops such as vegetables, rice and tomatoes to feed the Pwalugu Tomato factory, “We did some analysis that if you even use about 50 per cent of the area for rice cultivation, it will produce about 84,000 tonnes of rice and that will reduce importation by about 10 per cent.”
According to him, the project would open up the area as it would be suitable to set up factories because of the closeness of raw materials, while about one million jobs would be created for people in the Region.
Mr Adu-Dankwa said the project would last for four years, the first six months would be used for the detailed design during which period the number and location of canals would determine the communities that would be affected identified, compensated and relocated.
Contributing to the discussions at the programme, the Paramount Chief of the Talensi Traditional Area, Tongraan Kulbulisong Nalebtang, said “almost every government from Nkrumah's time till now has attempted to do something on it, unfortunately it has either been an issue of funding or time or that we have not been able to mobilise ourselves properly.”
He called on his colleague Chiefs in the Region to ensure effective supervision of the work to be done on the dam, insisting that they must make sure the construction was done per the designs to avoid shortcuts.
It is anticipated that the sod cutting ceremony for the commencement of the project would be done by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in November.
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