Ayisakro gets potable water

Mr. James Baidoe, Nzema East Municipal Chief Executive, has advised communities to take good care of projects developed for them by the government and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

He said the government and NGO would readily give more amenities to communities with good record of them.

Mr. Baidoe gave the advice when he inaugurated a $70,000 Small Town Water Supply Project at Ayisakro, near Axim. It was jointly provided by the Safe Water Network and Kosmos Energy Ghana.

He said Kosmos Energy Ghana and the Safe Water Network must be commended for initiating the project because the government cannot solely provide the development needs of communities.

Mr. Baidoe said companies and individuals must emulate these two organisations and supplement the efforts of government to meet the needs of communities.

Mr. George Sarpong, Director of Corporate Affairs of Kosmos Energy Ghana, said in an address read for him that the company’s partnership with Safe Water Network is to provide cost effective, community managed and affordable safe water and improved hygiene solutions for several coastal communities in the Western Region.

He said, “We believe that access to clean water would go a long way to enhance and improve lives and also serve as a catalyst for economic development in our communities”.

Mr. Sarpong said the Ayisakro Community and 11 others had so far benefitted from the water project, which had provided potable water to about 15,000 people under phases One and Two of the project.

He said seven communities in the Nzema East Municipality and the Ahanta West District would benefit from the third phase.

Mr. Charles Yeboah, Programme Manager of Safe Water Network, said the water project of Ayisakro is the first of its kind because it involved mechanizing an existing ground water source which was high in iron and manganese and well above the tolerable threshold of the World Health Organization and the Ghana Standards Authority.

He said an additional chemical removal system had been installed to make the water safe for use by the people.

Mr. Yeboah said the Safe Water Network would continue to support the community to effectively manage the water system, provide technical assistance and help them resolve technical challenges.