DON'T REPEAT AKOSOMBO AT BUI (AUGUST 25, 2009)

FROM hindsight, the directive from the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) to the Bui Power Authority (BPA) to submit an Environmental Management Plan and a Resettlement Action Plan can be said to be a proactive move to avoid the unpleasant aspects of the Akosombo Dam experience.
In the 1960s when the Akosombo Dam was being constructed, many things including a user-friendly resettlement plan were ignored by the authorities.
The resettlement plans for the 52 towns inundated by the dam were drawn with no or very little consultation with the residents of those communities.
The moves by the MEST indicate that as a people we are learning from our mistakes so that we do not inflict pain on communities in the catchment area of the Bui Dam Project.
The fallout from the Akosombo Dam continues to impact negatively on the living conditions of communities in the dam’s catchment area even up to today.
Many families who lost compound houses were compensated with very small structures like hen coops which did not meet their expectations. The farmlands of the people were flooded and few hectares which were spared had their vegetation disturbed to the extent that the farmland could not support any meaningful agriculture.
Quite ironically, the economy of the communities in the dam area were seriously affected by the Akosombo Dam, which was executed to help accelerate the economic development of the country.
Water-borne diseases and other health challenges have also been on the ascendancy thereby aggravating the poor living conditions of the people downstream.
The DAILY GRAPHIC thinks that although the Bui Power Project will accelerate economic development, it should not be carried out at the expense of the daily endeavours of the local people.
Environmentalists raised the red flag when the government decided to revive the Bui Power Project because of their concern for the protection of flora and fauna.
The DAILY GRAPHIC cautions against a repeat of what happened at Akosombo where very rich and resourceful families were reduced to beggars in their own backyards just because a good programme ignored the human touch.
The Bui Power Project holds a lot of promise for the future of the country. This can, however, be attained if the concerns of the people are taken care of by the project management team.
We are encouraged that through civil society activism, the people are wide awake and ready to fight for their rights.
The DAILY GRAPHIC advises the people in the Bui area not to sit on the fence but get actively involved in all the public hearings planned to elicit public reaction and support for the project.
They should participate in all the activities planned by the government to explain the challenges associated with the execution of the project. By their active participation, they will be part of the critical decisions that will be taken to lessen the headaches associated with big ventures like the Bui Dam Project.
The people should voice out their concerns now to avoid the mistakes of Akosombo and guarantee a better standard of living for the people of Bui.