The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) is to commence dredging of the river Dakar, the main source of water supply for the residents of Yendi township to store more water for use during the dry season.
The township, for the past decades, has been hit with severe water shortage due to some illegal activities that take place at the river banks, thereby, making it difficult for management to store water for use after the rainy season.
Also, for the past fifty-nine (59) years since the construction of the original Yendi Water Supply System which takes its raw water source from the River Dakar, it has not undergone any rehabilitation works, and it is no longer capable of satisfying the water demand of Yendi and its environs, especially with rising population in the area.
One unique thing about the project is that, the dredging would also be done without the use of excavator. Pump machine would be used to carry the sand through a pipe to a faraway distance from the river.
The Northern Regional Chief Manager of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Ing. Amidu Musah, who disclosed this to the B&FT in an interview, noted that Yendi is supposed to have about 15 thousand gallons of water a day but due to the challenges stated, the company is only able to provide just about one-third of it, which is significantly below demand.
“In Yendi, we take surface water from River Dakar but this river preliminary dries up around this time, specifically every year in March. Due to that management decided to embark on the exercise to drill some standby boreholes to supply the communities to enable them access the clean water for domestic use while effort is being made to commence the actual project.
The construction has not started other soft aspect of the project is currently ongoing and hopefully by the end of 2021, the actual construction would take place. This time we are going to pick the source from River Oti and with that, we would be able to meet the current projected demand till the year 2040,” he said.
He therefore stressed the need for the residents to exercise patience as the company develops temporal alternatives for water supply until the actual project begins to salvage their plights.
A resident of Yendi, Abdul Razak, said the dredging will also help the prevention of illegal activities at the river site.
“We have been suffering from water crisis for a very long time and if management has decided to adopt a strategy to salvage the plight of the people of Yendi, especially the women who have been travelling miles to access portable water for both family or commercial use,” he said.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on July 2020 cut the sod for the construction of the Yendi Water Supply Project, in fulfillment of a pledge he made to Yaa-Naa Abukari II at the 2019 Damba Festival.
The Water Supply Project will be financed by the India Exim Bank at $30 million aimed at providing the people of the Yendi Municipality and its environs with fifteen thousand (15,000) cubic metres of water daily to meet the water demand from now till the year 2040.
Cutting the sod for the construction, President Akufo-Addo indicated that communities earmarked to benefit from the Project, upon completion, include Yendi, Ghani (Ngani), Sambu, Adobo, Sokoli, Nakpachei, Gbungbalaga and Kuga.
