Government is to construct a multi-purpose dam on the White Volta at Pwalugu in the Upper East Region that would harvest the spillage of Bagre and Koupela dams in Burkina Faso to curtail the periodic devastation caused by the spillage of the dams.
Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister, announced this at the 2nd General meeting of the White Volta Basin Trans-boundary Committee on Integrated Water Resources Management held at Tenkodogo in Burkina Faso.
The Minister regretted the lost of lives and properties that are usually characterised by the spillage and said last two years 11 people in Upper East died including livestock and the destruction of crops.
He said upon the completion of the dam in 2019 such devastating occurrences would stop.
Mr Woyongo noted that the project, which is to be funded by the World Bank and Agent Francaise, when completed, would also generate electricity and irrigate over 100,000 hectares of land.
�It would also curtail the periodic devastation caused as a result of the spillage of the Bagre Dam and promote water transport and fishing activities�, he said.
On the management of the Water resources on the White Volta Basin, the Regional Minister indicated that the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) would contribute to the management of the resources particularly growing of trees along the boundaries of the White Volta Basin since the �project for improving Water Governance in White Volta Basin� implemented by Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo with sponsorship from the IUCN was getting closer to an end.
He challenged the neighbouring regions to ensure that they take ownership of the project since the effective management of the water resources in the basin would help bring about accelerated development.
At the end of the General Assembly, a communiqu� was issued which called for the development of partnerships with institutions working in the area of reforestation such as SADA and the Asongtaba Cottage Industries in Ghana.
It called for the review of the White Volta Basin Trans-boundary Committee on Integrated Water Resources texts and regulations by a working group put in place and made up of two representatives per country in order to integrate Togo in the consultation framework for issues pertaining to natural resource management in the Nakanbe and Oti sub-basins.
The communique also stressed the need for governments to be committed so as to achieve a holistic goal on good governance of the Water Resources in the Basin.
It called for advocacy with partners working in the area of environmental conservation and improved information sharing among the three countries on lessons learned and best practices as regards water resource management.
The Ghanaian�s delegation included Mr Musah Abudulai, District Chief Executive for Bawku Municipal, Mr David Adakudugu, District Chief Executive for Garu-Tempane, and Alhaji Imoro Anaba.
Source: GNA
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