The Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency in Central Region, Hon James Gyakye Quayson, has summoned the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources to Parliament over non-supply of water to eight communities in the Constituency.
According to the MP, the water shortage in the communities has compelled residents to scramble for unclean drinking water in rivers and streams, thereby exposing them to health problems.
Posing the question to the sector Minister, Madam Cecilia Abena Daapah, on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, December 9, Hon James Gyakye said the residents faced water supply problem and needed government immediate intervention.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources what steps the Ministry is taking to provide potable water to the following communities in the Assin North Constituency: (i) Basofi Ningo (ii) Jamboree (iii) Kwama Ankrah (iv) Yaw Atta (v) Achiano (vi) Bediadua (v) Armah Camp (vi) Tweanka (vii) Ahuntan (viii) Rimah Camp,” he asked.
He indicated that the situation is making it difficult for the communities to develop in all sectors, emphasizing that, successive governments promised to extend portable water to the communities but those promises were never fulfilled.
Hon Gyakye believed that residents of the affected communities who are mainly farmers contribute significantly to the economic growth and development of the country and therefore deserve their fair share of the national cake in the provision of water.
He explained to EXPRESSNEWSGHANA that, though some of these communities have been provided with Wells and some few boreholes, as temporary sources of water, the government through the Water Sources Ministry must intervene by extending the boreholes projects to the communities.
In response to the questions, the sector Minister, Hon Abena Dapaah said the affected communities were provided with borehole facilities to enable them to have access to safe water, but due to population increase and the breakdown of some of the existing water facilities, water supply from the functional water facilities could not meet the current water demand.
Nevertheless, he said feasibility studies conducted by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) on the existing water facilities in the communities indicated that for some the communities, the broken down boreholes could be rehabilitated, whilst additional boreholes are provided for some other communities.
According to the sector Minister, some of the boreholes would also be mechanized into Small Town Water Supply Systems to serve more communities within the area.
“Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources through the Community Water and Sanitation Agency has made provision in the 2022 budget to also rehabilitate and provide new water supply facilities,” Hon Abena Dapaah added.
The Concerns over the apparent inability of the Ministry to provide water supply were raised by some other Members of Parliament, as their constituents face the dire shortage of water.
Some of the MPs who dragged the Minister to parliament on similar concerns said the situation has given the urge to their constituents “to keep harassing at us “as MPs, noting that water shortage in the communities has given rise to cholera prevalence and other attendant water-borne diseases in those communities.
Source: expressnewsghana.com
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