Government fights guinea worm

Accra, July 13, GNA 96 Government on Thursday expressed surprise at the rate of reported cases of guin ea worm and has, therefore, adopted strategies to eradicate it by 2007.

It has thus released from Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) source additional funds, to provide boreholes in guinea worm endemic communities including Sebi Hills in the Volta; Duccie in the Upper West and guinea worm endemic communities in the Northern Regions. Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, in presenting a Supplementary Budget to Parliament, to ask for the approval of 4,208.3 billion cedis, said for the first half of 2006, the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) completed 91 boreholes, five hand-dug wells; 63 household places of convenience and 64 institutional places of convenience.

Area mechanics, hand pump caretakers and WATSAN Committees have been trained to maintain and operate the rural water systems on a sustainable basis.

He said in the first half of 2006 the Government through the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing continued to increase access to safe water and sanitation facilities in the rural and urban areas, especially in guinea worm endemic areas and also continued with work towards the provision of decent, social and affordable housing units.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said operational hydrology, coastal protection and storm water drainage improvement works were undertaken. Government's commitment towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of 78 per cent of water coverage by 2015, and the Ghana Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy objective of 87 per cent coverage by 2015 remained unflinching.

The Ministry has been aggressive in the delivery of water, both in the rural and urban communities.

He said the Ministry acting through the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), to implement its 2006 investment programme completed several projects to provide safe water to rural communities in the country.

On provision of water in urban areas, Mr Baah-Wiredu said to be able to improve upon water supply to Adenta, near Accra and its surrounding areas, a high yielding borehole at Dodowa was mechanized in 2005, which was serving some parts of Adenta. This year, the GWCL Drilling Unit sunk two additional boreholes also at Dodowa to improve upon the present level of water delivery to Adenta and its environs.

Adenta in the short term would also benefit from the Accra East-West Interconnection Water Supply Project.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said the Government had secured external funding for the provision of safe water to Accra East-West Interconnection; Cape Coast, Barekese in Kumasi, Baifikrom (Mankesim), Koforidua and Tamale. He said 93the Ministry will continue to explore all avenues to secure funding for the provision of potable water to the following towns and their surrounding communities. Kasoa; Sekondi/Takoradi; Kwanyako; Yendi; Damongo and Wa.

Extensions of water supply (main pipe lines) to Anfoega and Worawora in the Volta Region as well as Beposo-Nsuta in the Ashanti Region were completed during the half-year.

On housing Mr Baah-Wiredu said the 93Government is committed to reducing the housing deficit in the country which ranges between 300,000 units and 500,000 units.

In this vein the Government made an initial provision of A2150 billion in the 2005 Budget from HIPC Sources to begin the construction of safe, decent and affordable housing.

=93Construction of 113 four-storey blocks (courts) containing 1,138 units of flats is currently ongoing at Borteyman and Nungua. Modern amenities such as schools, Police Station, playgrounds, open spaces, parking lots, places of worship, recreational and commercial centres to service the neighbourhood, are also being provided. Government has also allocated additional funds of A2177 billion to commence the construction of 1,400 and 1,192 safe, decent and affordable housing estates at Kpone, near Tema in the Greater Accra Region and Asokore-Mampong, near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, respectively. These units at the three locations when completed would be for sale and rental. It is noted that some people buy or rent flats and sublet them to those who genuinely need accommodation at "cut throat" prices. =93Mr. Speaker, for this reason, the Government's affordable housing programme shall be "Owner-occupier", and a mechanism is currently being developed to ensure that no "middle men" are entertained.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said: 93We also intend introducing some form of targeted subsidy to assist workers such as Civil Servants, Teachers, Doctors, Nurses, Policemen and Policewomen, Military and other security officers to own the flats.

The Ministry is already in discussion with some Banks to see how they can support workers with affordable housing mortgages to purchase the flats.

He said several investors had shown interest in the delivery of various housing units for Ghanaians, and the Ministry had signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with prospective investors in that regard.

Some of the proposals are quite advanced; among them are Agnus Dei Foundation of USA - 250 million dollars; Sithru SDN.BHD of Malaysia, which has almost completed the construction of a demonstration unit at Tema and DCL of Luxemburg 120 million dollars. The Ministry has sourced about 20,242 hectares in Accra, as well as in other Regional and District Capitals, purposely for the Government's National Housing Programme and associated infrastructure development. The objective is to establish a Land Bank System, to facilitate the access to land by developers. The Ministry has concluded negotiations and signed agreements with various land owners to enable the Lands Commission and Land Valuation Board to complete the acquisition process.