The Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugre Atanga, has reassured residents that the government is still committed to rebuilding the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam. This long-awaited project is considered crucial for solving the region’s annual flooding issues.
Speaking to the press on Monday, August 25, Minister Atanga stated that the dam, once finished, would provide a lasting solution to the yearly floods caused by the controlled spillage of the Bagre Dam from neighboring Burkina Faso.
He explained that the government is currently reviewing the project’s expenditure framework, which was prepared by the previous administration. According to Atanga, construction work will restart after this assessment is complete.
“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,” he said.
Atanga also provided assurances that the region is well-prepared to handle the effects of this year’s Bagre Dam spillage. He mentioned that his office has already requested logistics and emergency relief supplies from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to quickly support residents who might be displaced by the 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,” he added.
Once built, the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam is also expected to be a major source of irrigation for agriculture, provide hydroelectric power, and help with the socio-economic development of the Upper East Region and its surroundings.