Owabi Dam to be dredged

Kumasi, Sept 09, GNA -The Owabi Dam is to be dredged at a cost of about two million dollars under the phase one of the Ghana Government/Nordic Fund/World Bank funded Urban Water Project that takes off before the end of this year.

Mr Samuel G.O. Lamptey, acting Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), said work had started on the repair of the dam's scour valves to restore normal functioning in the discharge of silt.

This, he said, is being done by the Tema Acquatec Services at a cost of 131,000 dollars and that the company was providing the funding from its own resources.

The Owabi Dam built in 1928 supplies three million gallons of water to Kumasi daily.

Mr Lamptey, who was speaking to newsmen on Thursday after inspecting some projects being undertaken by the GWCL, touched on the recent flooding of the Owabi community as a result of spillage from the dam and said the company is talking to the people to re-locate them. ''What the company is not comfortable with is the idea of resettling them near the head works because of past experiences.'' The acting Managing Director said the company did not want a situation where the people would one day come back to degrade the catchments area.

He renewed the appeal to those who have illegally connected water to their homes to, in their own interest, own up and get their water connection regularised.

Mr Lamptey warned that those who refuse to take advantage of the amnesty offered them by the company would be made to face the full rigours of the law when fished out. He expressed concern about the illegal practice on the part of some sachet water producers who use the domestic connections they applied for to do commercial business and deny the company huge revenue.