1V1D1: Work begins on rebuilding ‘washed away’ Kajelo Dam

Work on rebuilding the Kajelo Dam that was destroyed by rains in April has commenced earnestly in the Kasena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region.

The dam which was constructed by government under the “One Village, One Dam policy” made headlines in the country when the first set of rains ushering the wet season collapsed the central portion of the dam’s bank, splitting it and leaving behind a fragile structure.

Senyalah Castro, who had visited the dam at the time of the misfortune reported how huge dunes of sand and filth silted a larger portion of the dam basin that had previous been excavated.

The incident, he reported, did not please community members who are beneficiaries of the dam project. They accused the contractor of doing a poor job and called on the District Assembly and government to get the construction company back on site.

Almost two months after the disaster, the construction company- Time Line Constructions Company Limited, has returned to site with all resources and work has started with all seriousness.

The return of the contractor comes days after President Akufo-Addo assured Ghanaians of his commitment to look into issues surrounding the poor nature of the dams.

A visit to the Site shows the progress of work as workers have been able to excavate portions of the dam that had been silted by the rains.

Work on fixing the collapsed bank and reinforcing it to retain more water had also progressed.

The Assemblyman for the Area, Hilary Aniakwo, who was present at the time of visit, expressed his gratitude to the District Assembly for bringing the contractor back on site.

He stated that he and his people will work closely with the contractor to ensure proper work is done this time round. He was hopeful the rains will not disrupt work at the project site.

Meanwhile, the District Chief Executive for the Kasena-Nankana West District has strongly cautioned the contractor against any form of shoddy work.

He said the Assembly will not accept anything less of a standard small-scale dam.