Phase three commences of the Five Districts Water Supply Project in the Volta Region

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has cut the sod for commencement of building work on phase three of the water supply project in five districts of the Volta Region.

Cutting the sod on Tuesday 1 September 2020 at Adaklu-Anfoe, in the Adaklu District, President Akufo-Addo said that phase two of the project will provide potable water to the districts of Central Tongu, North Tongu, Adaklu-Anyigbe, Agotime-Ziope and Ho West.

“It is gratifying to note that this project will provide potable water to 89,107 people in 183 beneficiary communities, such as Dadoboe, Mawoekpor, Mafi Zongo, Mafi Kutime, Mafi Kumase, Avedo Bakpa, Kpoviadzi, Adidome, Kanikope, Bagalikope and Manase Zongo,” the president said.

Relieve women and children of a burden

Phase three is being financed by a concessionary credit facility from the Raiffeisen Bank International of Vienna, Austria, to the tune of €11.5 million.

President Akufo-Addo explained that treated water to the 183 communities will be transported through 132 kilometres of transmission and distribution pipelines.

Other key components of this project are installation of booster stations, elevated concrete tanks, health and hygiene education and environmental and social safeguards.

“Upon completion, this project will result in an increase in water coverage for the Volta Region by some 5.6%,” President Akufo-Addo said. “Furthermore, it is … expected to reduce the time spent in search for water, thereby relieving, especially, women and children of this burden; minimise the affliction of water-borne diseases; and maximise the social and health benefits of clean, safe and reliable drinking water.”

His government, he stressed, will continue to create an enabling environment by providing social infrastructure to attract investment to our rural communities.

“As a result, I expect that, with the availability of potable water in these communities, investors will take advantage of the government’s flagship programmes, such as ‘One District, One Factory’, to establish small and medium-scale factories to exploit the natural resources of the area, create employment for the youth, and stimulate the growth and development of the local economy,” the president added.

Socially responsible

President Akufo-Addo assured residents of Adaklu-Anfoe and, indeed, people living in all 183 beneficiary communities that his government would not relent in its efforts to increase access to water for all, a 2016 NPP manifesto commitment which remains a key priority.

“Whilst the government is committed to living up to its social responsibility, by providing social services like this water project to the people of Ghana, we expect beneficiary communities to contribute their quota towards ensuring the sustainability of these services, by helping to protect the infrastructure so they can last long,” he said.

The president urged the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, the implementing agency for the project, to ensure timely completion of all detailed designs, and also to ensure that the project construction is carried out in accordance with required standards and specifications.

“I assure residents in this Region that the government has plans to increase further water coverage. Phase four of this project will be implemented soon for the benefit of communities in the remaining two districts, ie, North Tongu and Ho West, through the same funding source,” he said.

Click on the link below to listen to President Akufo-Addo’s address.

Wilberforce Asare / Asaase Radio

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