Government cannot continue to pay for dry wells.

Duccie (U/W) June 3 GNA - Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Minister of Works and Housing, has advised Consultants undertaking water projects, to properly assess the possibility of striking water before selecting sites for drilling, since the Government could not continue to pay for dry wells.

He said in this day and age technology existed to indicate the existence water before sinking wells.

Mr Owusu-Agyemang said this when he inaugurated five new boreholes for the people of Duccie, a guinea worm endemic community in the Wa East District.

The boreholes were Highly Indebted Poor Countries Fund Projects and cost 5.8 billion cedis.

The Works and Housing Minister did not see why the Government should pay for the cost of drilling wells that did not yield water.

The Consultant had told Mr Owusu-Agyemang and his entourage that 14 boreholes were sunk out of which five yielded water with the Government taking up 20 per cent of the cost of the dry wells.

He was accompanied to the community by Mr Ambrose Dery, the Upper West Regional Minister and the two Deputy Ministers of Works and Housing, Miss Cecilia Abena Dapaah and Mr Issah Ketekewu and Mr Kofi Asamoah, Chief Executive of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency.

During an interaction with the people, Mr Dery urged them to endeavour to meet their tax obligations to the District Assembly to enable it to accrue enough revenue to support their development needs.

He said the creation of the new district meant more financial resources from Central Government would be at the disposal of the Assembly since they would no longer have to share with other communities.

"The government delivers what it promises and, therefore, you should support it to continue to assist you to realise your ambitions," he said.