By Edmund
Smith-Asante, BEREKUSO
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| Mr Sampson Ahi applauds the Berekuso chief as he cuts the ribbon to commission the water system |
A small
town water supply system has been inaugurated for the people of Berekuso in the
Akwapim South District in the Eastern Region.
The
project was dubbed, “H2OME! Water for me”. About 5,000 people at Berekuso and
nearby villages are expected to benefit from it.
The
project cost US$100,000. Safe Water Network and foundation partners contributed
US$85,000 with the Government of Ghana committing US$15,000 from the MPs’
Common Fund.
The water
supply system comprise a pumping station with a manganese and iron removal
plant and five stand pipes placed at various locations in the community. By
this project, Berekuso stands to become a model for water projects in
other towns around the country.
At a
durbar to inaugurate the project last Thursday, the Member of Parliament for
Akwapim South, Mr Osei Bonsu Amoah, said the water supply works, which took a
year to complete, had become necessary because water that the people of
Berekusu and its environs depended on previously had traces of manganese and
iron, which are not good for drinking purposes.
He called
for the establishment of a water management team to be put in place in
partnership with the government to take care of the project.
The
Country Director for SWN, Mr Charles Nimako, said it was the network’s
objective to assist the government to reduce deaths from water borne diseases,
as well as the 100,000 estimated annual deaths from diarrhea by providing
potable water.
He urged
the people of Berekuso to pay for the water fetched from the water system in
order that they may gain needed funds to maintain and sustain the system.
Universal water coverage
The
Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Sampson Ahi,
inaugurated the water supply system. He reiterated the government’s vision to
achieve universal water coverage by the year 2025 as contained in the Water
Sector Strategic Development Plan (WSSDP).
“In fact,
the government cannot undertake the effort alone and so would collaborate with
other stakeholders such as donors and development partners, international and
local companies and non-governmental agencies,” he said.
He urged
the private sector and corporate bodies to explore opportunities and partner
the public sector to improve water services delivery in Ghana. He
further requested chiefs in the area to make their people agree to patronise
the water from the station and “desist from drawing water from streams and
dug-outs around.”
He
encouraged the district assembly to “ensure that structures were put in place
to ensure that funds from the sale of the water are properly accounted for.”
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| One of the access stands to the treated water at Berekuso |
In an
interview with the Daily Graphic, a caretaker of one of the standpipes in the
community, Madam Dora Asantewaa, said members of the community sometimes failed
to pay for water they fetched.
“I have
to go to great lengths to retrieve the money and sometimes even make up for any
shortfalls in revenue at the end of the month,” she said.
For Mrs
Dorcas Atta Asa and Mrs Diana Vandyck, the new water facility had saved them
from the drudgery of boiling water always before use. “Now we only have to
fetch the water and use it right away,” they said.
The Chief
Executive of the Akwapim South District Assembly, Mr Kwaku Afari Gyan, called
for unity at Berekuso in order to ensure the speedy development of the
community. “Without unity, there can be no development,” he said.
Writer’s
email: edmund.asante@graphic.com.gh
This
story was first published by the Daily
Graphic on May 11, 2015
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