Government sourcing funds from Korea government for water

Wa, Feb. 21, GNA - Government is sourcing 94 million dollars from the Korean government to supply water from the Black Volta River to Wa and its surrounding areas.

The main source of water for the expanded system would be the Black Volta and supplemented by ground water, Mr. Alban S. K. Bagbin, Minister fo= r Water Resources, Works and Housing, has said. He said the water from the Black Volta would be transported over 48 kilometres and distributed through pipe network of 84 kilometres and when completed, the system would have a storage capacity of 5,500 cubic metres from the current 1,500 cubic metres.

The Wa water system is currently undergoing rehabilitation to increase its water supply by an additional capacity of 4.4 million gallons a day. Mr. Bagbin was addressing traditional rulers, municipal and district chief executives, planning officers and heads of departments as well as personnel from civil society organisations and a cross section of the publi= c at a one day water forum organised by the Ministry of Water Resources, Work= s and Housing in Wa. The forum was to focus on the region and to bring up issues on water i= n order to solicit the support of the people of the region to protect, conserve, and utilise the resources in the most efficient manner. Mr. Bagbin said the Upper West Region had the Wa Water Supply as the only urban water system in the region that had depended on underground wate= r as its source of intake.

He said the urban water coverage for the region as at the end of 2010 was 14 per cent as against the national average of 62 per cent while the Millennium Development Goal national target was to reach 78 per cent coverage by 2015.

The government has also targeted 85 per cent of water coverage in the country by 2015 and universal access by 2025.

Mr. Bagbin said his Ministry, in consultation with Ghana Water Company Limited, was considering the revision of settlements in the region from community water status to urban water status and settlements such as Jirapa= , Lawra, Tumu and Nandom were being considered.

On rural water supply, he said as at the end of 2010, almost 62 per cent of people living in rural communities and small towns had access to potable water in Ghana.

"Our target is to achieve 78 per cent by 2015 and universal access by 2025". Mr. Bagbin said however that the estimated rural water coverage by the close of 2010 in the Upper West Region was 77.73 percent and doubted the figure because many of the systems put in place had broken down permanently but were recorded in the Statistical figures of rural water supply coverage in the region. He said although the region's coverage was the highest in the country, the government would not reduce its investment as far as water provision wa= s concerned.