Damaged dams still not repaired

Most of the dams which collapsed in the three northern regions as a result of the heavy rains which displaced more than 300,000 residents some two years ago have still not been reconstructed, Mr Sylvester Adongo, the Northern Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), has disclosed.
Speaking at the first public screening of “Water is Life”, a documentary by the German Development Co-operation (GTZ) and MOFA on the rehabilitation project, he said the situation, which badly affected the farms of residents, resulting in shortage of food, had still not been properly addressed.
He said with this year’s rainy season a few months away, residents of the affected regions, with assistance from GTZ and other donor partners, had taken it upon themselves to rehabilitate the collapsed dams which were built at the time of the country’s independence, to avoid another disastrous flooding.
He said from the European Emergency Relief Fund of 800,OOO euros, only 18 dams had been rehabilitated, with over 60 yet to undergo manual rehabilitation under the “Food for Work” programme by GTZ.
Mr Adongo said there were over 500 dams in the three northern regions, most of whom had stood the test of time but were now wasting away because of exposure to natural forces.
He said the people realised that they could not rely solely on the government for support and, therefore, took it upon themselves, with assistance from the donor partners, to repair the collapsed dams to discourage the migration of the people down south for greener pastures.
“The national budget does not go that far and some of these residents, mostly farmers, have been waiting for years for repairs to be done on the dams, which they use for the irrigation of their crops and as drinking water for their cattle,” he added.
The Country Director of GTZ, Dr Fred Brandl, said the GTZ assisted the people in the transfer of knowledge and helped in building stone bridges which it believed lasted longer than the concrete bridges built by machines.
He said the project was an all-inclusive one which involved at least one person from each affected family, with each family benefiting from relief under the “Food for Work” programme to ensure food security in the region.