King of Dagbon Kingdom, Yaa Naa Mahama Abukari (II) has called on government to assist Yendi in dredging the Kulkpini dam.

According to the Overlord, the dredging of the main source of water will help improve the water level in the reservoir which has dried up during this period of drought, a negative development, compelling residents of Yendi to travel miles in the struggle and search for water for their domestic and commercial activities.

The Overlord of Dagbon explained that the dredging of the dam will surely assist Yendi, which is the traditional capital of Dagbon, to deal immediately with the heat of an ongoing water crisis in the ancient town as residents wait anxiously for the rainy season.

The king made the call at his palace on Monday when the Northern Regional Minister Shani Alhassan Zakaria visited his palace to introduce himself to him and his elders.

Yaa Naa Abukari II observed that President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo had already offered a helping hand to conclusively address the native water crisis facing Yendi, with the awarding of contract for construction of the required infrastructure.

This historic infrastructure being laid, he underscored, will automatically give meaning and reason to the execution and completion of the water project being undertaken by government.

He however noted that while government and the contractors continue to intensify activities to make sure the project will see the light of day, there ought to be other pragmatic steps and useful measures deployed to solve the current water crisis facing the people of Yendi before the completion of the multimillion-dollar project targeted at ending the water crisis in the biggest town along the Eastern corridor.

Consequently, the traditional ruler has asked his subjects, opinion leaders and local authorities, to collaborate with central government to fix the current crisis with the dredging of the Kulkpini dam as one of the immediate steps.

YENDI WATER PROJECT

President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo performed sod cutting for a $30 Million Yendi Water Supply Project last year.

This was done on July 29, 2020, to pave way for construction activities to commence following the signing of the contract.

Apparently, the Water Supply Project, was in fulfilment of a pledge he made to Yaa-Naa Mahama Abukari II at the 2019 Dambai Festival observed in Yendi

The Water Supply Project, being financed by a $30 million facility from the India Exim Bank, is aimed at providing the people of 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 on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, President Akufo-Addo indicated that communities earmarked to benefit from the Project, upon completion, included Yendi, Ghani (Ngani), Sambu, Adobo, Sokoli, Nakpachei, Gbungbalaga and Kuga.

“Yaa-Naa Mahama Abukari II, when I told you that ‘great days lie ahead of Dagbon’, this is what I meant, as this Project signals the beginning of infrastructural development for Yendi. And, as you know by now, when Akufo-Addo makes a promise, he keeps it,” the President had said.

The President stated that it had been fifty-nine (59) years since the construction of the original Yendi Water Supply System, which took its raw water source from the River Daka.

“Since its construction, it has not undergone any rehabilitation works, and it is no longer capable of satisfying the water needs of Yendi and its environs. Additionally, because of the considerable increase in population and economic growth, it has become necessary to construct a new water supply system to meet the water demands of Yendi and its adjoining towns and communities,” he added.

The President continued that, “Yaa-Naa Mahama Abukari II, when I told you that ‘great days lie ahead of Dagbon’, this is what I meant, as this Project signals the beginning of infrastructural development for Yendi. And, as you know by now, when Akufo-Addo makes a promise, he keeps it.”

President Akufo-Addo assured residents of Yendi, and, indeed, all Ghanaians, that Government’s commitment to protecting the country’s water-bodies, that served as the sources for provision of potable drinking water for the Ghanaian people, was unwavering.

“We will continue to wage war against, and intensify our resolve to curb the activities of illegal miners (galamseyers), sand winning and farming along the banks of our water bodies, which lead to their pollution,” he added.

Thanking the Indian Government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through the Indian Exim Bank, for making available the financing for the Yendi Water Supply Project, whose impact, upon completion, will be immense for the people of Yendi and its surrounding towns, he said it was a “good testimony of the strong bonds of co-operation and collaboration that existed between our two countries. Long may it continue.”

He urged the contractor, Messrs. WAPCOS Ltd of India, to complete this project on schedule, and help deliver potable water to the beneficiary towns and communities.

But, as residents wait anxiously for completion of the landmark water project, the Yaa Naa appealed for assistance to restore the Kulkpini dam for the people of Yendi so they make judicious use of it during the drought before the raining season sets in and disrupts the dredging process.