Parts of a One-Village-One-Dam project in the Upper West Regional town of Domini have been washed away by torrential rains less than two weeks into construction.

Contractors working on the project have told JoyNews they will fix the damage.

But worried villagers who were hoping the initiative could solve years of water problems in the area fear the dam may not last due to what they say is the poor nature of the project.

The embankment is made up of compacted laterite dug out from the dam area itself. Rainfall patterns in Northern Ghana could be severe and the structure would be at the mercy of the weather.

Already in less than two weeks of its making, the cracks are deep and many showing gaping holes all over.

“We really are in need of the dam when they came to start the construction, the entire village was very happy. If it is fixed, it will be a major source of water for the community. We will be using this same water to be doing our dry season gardening, we would want to use the same water for our construction,” one concerned resident said.

The MCE for Lawra, Bomba Yile told JoyNews’ Justice Baidoo in a text message that he has visited the area and would get the contractor to work on the damage.

But this is not the first one village one dam project to report a defect. Last year a dam in the Kasana-Nankana district was also washed away by heavy rains.