It has emerged that the majority of the dams being constructed in the five Northern regions under the one-village-one-dam initiative have dried up after just seven days of harmattan.

Photos of the dam popped up on social media with empty dugout at Nakpachei and Yendi in the Northern Region.

The cost of the dam was approximated to cost GH¢250,000.

There were concerns over the implementation of the policy which has largely been described as poor.

Residents in some communities in the north had complained that most of the dams had either dried up or were not built properly.

In September last year, the Minister of Special Development Initiative, Mavis Hawa Koomson, revealed that about 90 of the dams are in National Democratic Congress (NDC) strongholds in Upper East and West regions.

She is, therefore, surprised the same people will turn around to chastise such a project which will sustain their constituents during the dry season.

Even those being done in the Northern regions, the NDC described them as dugouts, hence they do not qualify to be called dams.

Former President John Mahama also joined the bandwagon when he said "they [government] refused to answer and the reality has caught up with them. These are dugouts. In some cases, they do not even qualify as dugouts."

Background

The government is constructing 300 dugouts across the northern part of the country; out of a total of 570 dams promised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the run-up to the 2016 general election.

Out of the number, 174 dams are currently under construction in the Northern Region, whilst 83 and 43 are being constructed in the Upper East and Upper West regions respectfully.

The dams, which are at various stages of completion, are expected to provide enough water for farmers to ensure all year farming, as well as for domestic purposes.