The Irrigation Company of Upper Regions (ICOUR) has stepped up efforts to improve water supply and farm access at the Tono and Vea irrigation schemes, the company’s Managing Director, Dominic Anarigide, said in an exclusive interview with A1 Radio.
Anarigide said desilting work is underway at one of the five reservoirs at the Tono Irrigation Scheme to ensure smooth water delivery to farmers, particularly those from distant areas who have long faced water supply challenges. The reservoir had not been desilted in nearly 50 years, leading to heavy siltation and impaired water flow.
“The desilting is to aid smooth supply of water to farmers, especially those from far places who suffer water supply challenges,” Anarigide said.
He outlined plans to improve scheme roads to enhance mobility within the Tono system and to construct a bridge linking canals between the left and right bank at Zone G, which he said will facilitate movement of people and farm produce between the two sides.
At the Vea Irrigation Scheme, rehabilitation work is also in progress. Anarigide said the right bank canal is currently being rehabilitated under a government-funded project, which includes work on the main canal, farm roads and lateral canals. Plans are underway to rehabilitate the left bank canal under the World Bank-supported West Africa Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP), which will include construction of the left bank main canal, automated gates, farm roads and laterals.
Under the previous government, only parts of the Tono scheme were rehabilitated, Anarigide noted, due to funding limitations. Several zones — including X, V, W, T and U — were not rehabilitated, and none of the five reservoirs were addressed, contributing to poor water delivery and heavy siltation.
Anarigide said the expanded works at both Tono and Vea are part of broader efforts by ICOUR to modernize irrigation infrastructure, boost agricultural output, and support dry-season farming. Earlier statements from ICOUR indicated that water had already been released for nursery preparation at Tono, with right and left bank canals opened in late January 2026 to align with the cropping calendar.
Farmers and community stakeholders have welcomed the interventions, which they say will help expand access to water for crops and livestock and pave the way for improved productivity during the dry season.
Source: A1 Radio | 101.1 Mhz | Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith | Bolgatanga
