570 Small Dams Constructed for Northern Constituencies - Minister

The Minister for Special Development Initiatives, Ms Mavis Hawa Koomson has announced that 570 small dams are being constructed in each of the constituencies in the three northern regions.

Taking her turn at the Meet the Press series at the Ministry of Information in Accra to highlight completed and on-going government's development projects, she said the target is to provide all-year round availability of water for small holder farming and livestock watering.

The Minister said each dam has a capacity to hold about 30,000 cubic meter apart from a spillway to control the level of water in the small dams.

Regarding Constituency Priority Projects, Ms. Koomson said the Ministry had commenced processes to deliver projects of each constituency identified in the Infrastructure Needs Assessment Report such as markets, community centres, drains, culverts, clinics, small bridges and classroom blocks among others.

To combat poverty and create jobs, especially for the youth, she said the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) has been designed and an equivalent of One Million dollars allocated for each of the 275 constituencies.

"This allocation will be made annually. The priority areas under IPEP are One Village One Dam, Agricultural Infrastructure, and Water for All projects and Sanitation projects".

Listing on-going government's priority projects across the country, she mentioned 1000 Community -based Water systems, 1000 Ten-seater Water Closet Institutional Facility. Fifty 1000-metric tonne warehouses, 570 small dams and one ambulance for each of the 275 constituencies.

For the Coastal Development Zone, Ms Koomson said 10-seater Water Closet Institutional Toilets with Mechanized Boreholes had been completed, with 78 in the Volta Region, 103 for the Greater Accra Region, 123 in the Central region and 79 in the Western Region.

Out of the 380 Community -based Mechanized Solar Powered Water Systems, the Volta Region has 78, Greater Accra 102, Central 122 and Western 78. She announced that five of the completed 1000-metric tonnes prefabricated warehouses are in the Western Region, six in the Central Region, one in the Greater Accra Region and three in the Volta Region.

Explaining that the Sanitation for all initiative, the Minister said each water closet facility has two disability friendly units, solar powered mechanized borehole, 5000 litres water storage tank and bio-digester waste storage and disposal avenue, adding that the WC facilities are being constructed in the compounds of existing schools, markets and health facilities in the communities.

Giving the features of the prefabricated warehouses aimed at reducing post-harvest loses, she noted that each has a laboratory, washroom, solar powered borehole, solar dyers, resting area, office and fenced with gatehouse.

The Minster argued that the successful implementation of IPEP projects across the country will significantly increase infrastructure for development, pointing out that "this intervention will contribute immensely towards the attainment of government goal of accelerating poverty eradication and minimising all forms of inequalities at the constituency level, predominantly in deprived communities".

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