The Federal Government has described the newly constructed Ogwashi-Uku Dam in Delta as complete and viable. The Technical Team, led by the Deputy Director, Geotechnical Divisional Head, Dams Department of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation (FMWR&S), Mrs Abiola Oluwatosin, made the remark in an interview with newsmen at the project site at Ogwashi-Uku yesterday.
Oluwatosin said that the team was part of the committee set up by President Bola Tinubu with a mandate to critically evaluate the structural integrity of dams in the county.
She said that they were in Delta to evaluate the structural integrity of the Ogwashi-Uku dam and its environmental social impact on the local community and extended environment.
“Ogwashi-Uku dam is viable, we have taken note of the height, length and the spillway and as we can see, the volume of water in the dam has greatly reduced due to silting.
“We have gone round the dam and some of the challenges are operational and maintenance.
“We have also identified the technical issues and our findings and recommendations will help the government to make decisions on how to combat all identified challenges on the structure of the dam,” she said.
Oluwatosin also disclosed that the team would be visiting all the dams in the Southern part of the country, in line with the president’s mandate to evaluate and report back to the Federal Government for immediate action.
The Managing Director, Benin-Owena River Basin Development Authority, FMWR&S, Mr Salin Ahmed, said the agency was responsible for the maintenance of Ogwashi-Uku dam. Ahmed said: “The dam, as it is, is complete. A dam is complete when water is impounded.
“A dam impounds water for multiple uses.
“So, Ogwashi-Uku dam is complete but the use it will be put to is a different phase.
“This dam is constructed for the purpose of water supply by impounding raw water for treatment and supply to Ogwashi-Uku and the surrounding towns and communities.
“The water component is the responsibility of the host State Government because water supply is on the concurrent list in our country.
“Construction of dam, that is bulk water storage, is the responsibility of the Federal Government, while the treatment and distribution to respective communities are the responsibility of the host State Government.”
He said that his agency has been in constant communication with the Delta Government on how to take up the aspect of putting the dam water to use. “You will notice that some of the spill valves are open and they are letting out water.
“Normally, that should not be because we are losing water but we have to do that because of the bridge construction on Ogwashi-Uku/Ughelli Road, which is upstream.
“If we close the valves, the water builds up and impedes the construction process. “So, they have written to us severally to control the level of water at the dam, that is why we have to open two of the valves to allow the water flow out.
“We hope that the bridge construction will be completed soon, so that we can close the spill valves permanently,” Ahmed said. According to him, the dam is safe but there is need for some maintenance in the area of keeping the upstream and downstream vegetation low.
On the power generation component of the dam, Ahmed said, “the FG is currently driving the Sustainable Power in Nigeria project, which is a World Bank-sponsored project.
“Fortunately, Delta has chosen this Ogwashi-Uku dam as the project of interest and we are working with the government to help the state qualify for the loan that will help explore hydro power potentials of this dam. (NAN)
