URN.Over the past few weeks, several districts in the West Nile sub-region have been receiving heavy rains characterized by thunderstorms and lightning.
The Construction of the Nyagak III hydro-power dam on Nyagak River in Zombo District is being threatened by heavy rains. Currently, excavation works of the powerhouse for the dam have been halted by the contractor.
Over the past few weeks, several districts in the West Nile sub-region have been receiving heavy rains characterized by thunderstorms and lightning.
Ayoub Marhtoum, the Assistant Project Manager of Dott Services says that the heavy rainfall that is being experienced in the area has hampered the movement of trucks to the site which has slowed their work.
The 19.39 USD Million project is funded by the government, Hydromax, and Dott Services Ltd under a Public-Private Partnership.
The Chairperson of West Nile Parliamentary Caucus and MP for Ora County Lawrence Biyika Songa, tasked the contractor to make a formal report about the challenges so that it can be presented to the appropriate committee in parliament for action.
The proposed 6.6 MW Small Hydropower Project that is being undertaken by Dott Services Limited started in 2017 and was expected to be completed within 33 months.
This is not the first time the multi-billion mini dam project has suffered a setback. In 2019, works at Nyagak were halted following a compensation dispute after Paidha chiefdom demanded 90 Million Shillings from Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL) to relocate its cultural heritage from the construction site.
According to the contractor, the work on the site is already at 70% and it is projected to be completed in September. As part of the agreement, the project developer, Genmax, will operate the dam for a period of 20 years after which it will be handed to the government.
