Ahiresu community gets mechanised borehole water facility

Ahiresu, a farming community in the Dormaa Central Municipality of the Bono Region has benefited from a mechanised borehole water facility which would supply portable water to the inhabitants.

The community did not have a source of potable water, a situation which forced the children to walk a distance of about 1.5 kilometres to fetch water from the nearest steam.

Speaking at a ceremony to officially hand-over the facility to the community, Mr. Benson Osei-Savio Boateng, the Chief Executive Officer, Don Bosco Youth Network, said the facility was provided through the support of Salesian Mission Inc., New Rochelle, United States of America and Don Bosco Youth Network West Africa (DBYN) with BOK Africa Concern as implementing partners.

He added the facility which cost GHC26,964.00 consisted of drilled borehole, mechanization, water tower and fetching points with taps.

Mr. Boateng noted that in the past 12 months Salesian Mission and DBYN with partners had intensified portable water support as part of the national response against the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

"In the portable water for deprived communities’ response to COVID-19 intervention, the partners have provided 19 water facilities in the past 12 months in Ghana," he said.

Mr. Boateng stated that the community would maintain the facility through a fee to be charged per quantity of water, either a bucket full or gallon yet to be determined by it.

Mr. Phillip Adjei, Communication and Advocacy Manager, BOK Africa Concern, said the provision of the facility was timely because it was critical and key in the fight against the spread of the COVID-19 and would also serve as a back up to the only water source in the community and bring great relief to the people.

Mr. Eric Adjei Acheampong, Assembly Member for the area, thanked the partners for the provision of the facility and further asked for the building of a ‘gari’ processing factory to serve as a source of employment for the unemployed in the community.

Mr. Acheampong implored managers of BOK Africa Concern to facilitate for the NGO’s partners and other financiers to come to the aid of the community with the construction of a three-unit classroom primary school block to address the educational needs of the community.

"The children here endure the agony of having to walk a long distance to school at Aboabo Number Four, a nearby community as a result of lack of a school block at Ahiresu," he bemoaned.

Cutting the tape to signify the official handing over of the facility to the community, Nana Owusu Ansah, the ‘Adontehene’ of Ahiresu, thanked the NGO and its partners for the provision of the facility and appealed for the rehabilitation of a bridge that would link the road in the community to other areas.