Dua (U/E),– Rehabilitation works on an irrigation dam at Dua, a community in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region, to allow for all year-round farming, have now been completed and handed over together with a three-hectare fenced garden, to the people at a ceremony.
The works done included raising the dam wall, desilting of the reservoir to increase the water storage capacity, refurbishment of the inlet and outlet chambers, protection of the embankment and the construction of spillway, canals and laterals to carry water to the farms.
It formed part of the climate resilient and livelihood project, being implemented by the Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MESTI), with support from the United Nations Development Programme and funded by the Adaptation Fund Board.
The climate resilience and livelihood project involve among other things, drilling of boreholes, dry season gardening, beekeeping, tree planting, establishment of agro-processing facilities, fish farming and irrigation dams’ rehabilitation of irrigation dams.
Mrs. Cynthia Asare Bediako, Chief Director of MESTI, said rehabilitating the irrigation dams would not only help to significantly boost food production and farmers’ income but reduce the impact of climate change on people in the communities.
Ghana has over the years been experiencing adverse effects of climate change – drought, erratic rainfall, bushfires and floods.
“It is our hope that this rehabilitated dam served its purpose. I will like to call on the chief and people of Dua to make judicious use of the dam to improve on the livelihood of our people, improve food security and minimize the rate of migration of our abled youth to the south,” she added.
Mr. Peter Dery, the Adaptation Fund Project Coordinator, said the project would help mitigate the impact of climate change and he advised the people not to start bush fires, stop cutting down trees and any activities that would destroy the environment.
Mr. Emmanuel Akolbire, a farmer hailed the government for the project and said it was going to make things better for the about 8,000 people, who over the years had depended on the dam to carry water to their farms.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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