Ghana needs hydrological map - Minister

Mr Yaw Barimah, Minister of Works and Housing on Tuesday said the country needed a hydrological map to facilitate the sinking of boreholes and to determine how rivers and rivulets being dried up were influencing the environment. He said the absence of such a map was a hindrance to expanding the use of groundwater, which was a preferred option for meeting the demands of water supply systems.

Mr Barimah was answering questions posed to him by MPs on the water supply systems in their various constituencies. Miss Akua Sena Dansua (NDC-North Dayi) wanted to know when the water project meant to tap water from the Volta Lake at Kpando Torkor to Kpando Township and its environs would begin.

Mr Barimah said there were two water expansion proposals for Kpando and the first one was to redevelop the existing boreholes and mechanising them with submersible pumps with the provision of three additional boreholes to meet the year 2005 demand of the area. He said; "technical and financial proposals are currently being sought from interested investors for the execution of the project on turnkey basis."

He said the second proposed scheme for the year 2020 would involve the expansion and extension of the year 2005 components to provide additional system capacity of 1,400 cubic metres per day to meet the demand of the population that required an investment of 2.6 million dollars.

Mr Barimah said; "the new district scheme based on abstracting water from the Volta Lake at Kpando Torkor can be considered only after the year 2005 when the capacity of the ground water system to sustain the demand has been exceeded.

"It is only at this time that supply from the surface water source, which is a more expensive option, can be justified." Mr Barimah said the current supply system at Kpando was inadequate and, therefore, needed an expansion, adding; "Continuous expansion of ground water sources is the preferred option for meeting the year 2005 demand."

Mr Barimah answering another question, which stood in the name of Mr Albert Abongo, NDC-Bongo as to how soon the people of Bongo would be provided with water from the Vea Water Treatment Works said; "it is intended to transfer the Bongo Water Supply System to the community for management under the district assembly."

He said the Bolgatanga Water Supply System pumps water to Vea and Gowrie both in the Bongo District and in 1996 and 1999 additional works of connecting customers were carried on the project at the cost of 427 million cedis. "There are at present 19 connections within Bongo town. However, water flow is erratic because of lack of storage and frequent burst and tampering of fixtures on the transmission mains," he explained.

Mr Barimah said the Ghana Water Company Limited planned to construct a ground level concrete reservoir to improve the supply of water to the Bongo Township and 150 million cedis that was earmarked under the 2001 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) programme was not released. He said after the Bongo Water Supply System was transferred to the district assembly "distribution network expansion will be covered under future development budgets."

To a question Mr Samuel Nkrumah-Gyimah, NPP-Odotobri, posed as to what plans the Ministry had for the rehabilitation of the water pumping station at Jacobu-Ashanti, which had been out of order for about 10 years, the Minister said that the water supply system was being considered for rehabilitation during 2002/2003 planning year.

Mr Barimah said the Ashanti Regional Office of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) was expected to have initiated discussions with the Amansie East District Assembly. He said; "the onus is on the Assembly to initiate action for Jacobu community to come on the project."