POTABLE WATER, DRUDGERY IN MANY GHANAIAN COMMUNITIES (PAGE 40, MARCH 1, 2010)

ACCESS to potable water is becoming a drudgery in many communities in Ghana both in cities and rural areas.
In the cities, water supply schemes break down, interrupting regular flow to consumers whilst in the rural areas, sources of water either from man-dug dams, streams and rivers break down or dry up compelling the people to devote much of their productive time in search of water for survival.
Such is the plight of the people of Keyime and other communities located in the remotest part of the Adaklu-Anyigbe District in the Volta Region.
In 1995, the main source of drinking water from the Keyime dam broke down but several appeals for remedy have received lip service over time although the people have persistently made them to the government and other benevolent organisations for reactivation of the dam.
But at long last, a Spanish non-governmental organisation (NGO), MANOS UNIDAS has through the Catholic Church in the Ho Diocese come to their aid and drilled 14 boreholes at a cost of GHc95,000 for communities such as Sowlada, Kofe, Kadzinkor, Atsrulume, Adanakofe, Nornyikpo, Wudorkpo, Ahiadormekofe, Kesenyemito and Adidove.
Incidentally, this is the second time the NGO has come to the rescue of the people in the Keyime electoral area as it funded the construction of a six-unit classroom block for Keyime Primary School in 1995 through the Catholic Church.
The Assembly Member for Keyime electoral area, Mr Daniel Agbesi Latsu on behalf of the people, expressed appreciation to the unconditional co-operation of the Catholic Church to the people of the area.
He said although it had no congregation in the
communities, the church had consistently supported their development process with the provision of the facilities, adding that it was really a gesture worth emulating by other religious groups.
“We appreciate this a lot since the provision of the boreholes will go a long way to curtail the water
borne diseases such as guinea worm, bilharzia and typhoid among others which hitherto, afflicted our people who had no option than to depend on contaminated streams and other unhygienic sources of water,” he said.
Mr Latsu said although previous governmental
promises had failed, the Catholic Church and MANOS UNIDAS had been able to bring hope to the people, adding” this is true partnership and brotherliness for which we cannot forget them.”
He commended Ms Casilda de Zulueta and Paloma Romirez of MANOS UNIDAS who travelled all the way from Spain to inaugurate the boreholes.
Mr Latsu said that demonstrated a unique responsibility and concern for the rural people by
ensuring that funds released for the project were strictly applied.
The assembly member admonished Ghanaian leaders that they should learn from the gesture of the Spanish donors to avoid the incidence of recycling the same project over time due to
poor supervision.
He also advised the beneficiary communities to take good care of the boreholes through collective efforts for them to last longer, stressing that they should regard them as facilities on which they depended for their own survival.
“If we look back today, we can say there is hope for the future. We appreciate the fact that we can only hope for a better future if we are able to sustain what we have while striving to add to others. We can only sustain what we have through maintenance,” Mr Latsu exhorted.