Gov’t is broke - Collins Dauda

The Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alhaji Collins Dauda confirmed on the floor of Parliament yesterday that the government is indeed broke.

Answering questions on the floor of the house, the Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi South, said there was no money to undertake projects currently.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Sefwi Akontombra in the Western region, Herod Cobbina asked the Minister when the government would implement the outcome of investigations conducted by the Hydrological Services Department to assess the extent of soil erosion at Kojokrom, Aprutu, Nkwadum and Bopa in 2008.

He said when the problem was brought to the attention of the Ministry, it commissioned the Hydrological Services Department to assess the problem.

The Department, he noted, found out that deep gullies developed in various parts of the afore-mentioned communities as a result of storm runoff.

Hon Dauda noted that the deep gullies in some instance adversely affected the foundations of the buildings.

He revealed that the Hydrological Services Department proposed the construction of concrete drains to help solve the problem.

He said the recommendations have not been carried out because of the non-availability of funds.

The Sefwi Akontombra MP also informed the minister about the need to build Small Town Water Supply system for towns such as Aprutu, Kojokrom, Essase, Dewuakrom, Nkwadum and Besibema but the minister said the towns do not qualify for such water supply system because the population fall below 2,000 which is the requirement for the consideration of such water system.

He said the towns had been provided with either hand-dug wells or mechanized boreholes to supply water to the communities.