Claim: Social media users are sharing images to back claims that the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam Project is making progress.
False! The photos being used to back the claims are not from the project site.
Full Text
President Akufo-Addo, in November 2019, cut sod for the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam in the Upper East Region.
The project, which is estimated to cost the government US$ 993million, comprises a 60MW hydroelectricity, 50MW solar power, and an irrigation facility to enable all-year-round farming in the beneficiary communities.
Presenting the 2022 budget statement on the floor of Parliament, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta said that the mobilization of major construction equipment and facilities to the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam and Irrigation Project site was ongoing.
“Contractors are scheduled to start the construction of access roads and bridges, as well as a camp equipped with water and power supply facilities,” point 804 of the budget reads.
Point 809 of the budget also announced that the government will “commence the construction of the main dam under the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam and Irrigation Project.”
Whilst there is no major report yet on the progress of the project, social media users are sharing photos claiming that the project has taken shape.
These posts can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Verification
Given how important this project is to the development of the northern parts of the country, DUBAWA decided to subject these claims to scrutiny and to be sure the project was indeed progressing steadily.
To authenticate these claims, DUBAWA conducted a Google Reverse Image search for all the photos to ascertain their origin.
Photo 1:
This photo has been used in several online publications that date as far as 2020. Some of these publications can be found on energynewsafrica.com, gbcghanaonline.com, and 3news.com.
The photo is also available on iStockphoto, online royalty free, international micro stock photography based in Canada. The photo was uploaded in May 2014 and the description of the photo indicated that the photo was the Akosombo Hydroelectric Power Station on the Volta River.
Photo 2:
This photo is owned by Alamy, a British privately owned stock photography agency.
It labels that photo as: “Kariba Dam, dam wall with hydroelectric plant, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Africa”
It names the photographer as Christian Heinrich and says that it was taken in September 2008.
Photo 3
The photo was found on fineartsamerica.com, an online art marketplace and print-on-demand technology company. The photo was titled: “Kerr Dam early in the morning.” They named Larry Kjorvested as the photographer of the image. The photograph was taken on June 5, 2011.
The Kerr Dam is located in the United States of America.
Photo 4:
We found this image on a Korean blog. There was an inscription on the photo that suggested that it was taken in September 2013. The photo was captioned as “Daecheong Dam”
Further searches led us to pixtastock.com, where it was also indicated that the photo of the Daecheong Dam, located in South Korea.
Conclusion
The four photos being used to back claims that Pwalugu Dam is progressing steadily are not from the project site and it is false to use same to represent the project site.
