President cuts sod for water supply project in the Volta Region

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Tuesday cut the sod for a Water Supply Project for five Districts of the Volta Region.

The Districts were; Central Tongu, North Tongu, Adaklu-Anyigbe, Agotime-Ziope and Ho West Districts. Some 89,107 people in 183 beneficiary communities in the five districts would have access to potable water when the project is completed.

At a ceremony at Adaklu-Anfoe, in the Adaklu District, President Akufo-Addo stated that Government would not relent in its efforts to make water accessible for all Ghanaians , a 2016 Manifesto commitment of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which remained a key priority of his administration.

He said the project, financed by a concessionary credit facility from the Raiffeisenbank International of Vienna, Austria to the tune of €11.5 million, would result in an increase in water coverage for the Volta Region by 5.6 per cent.

The project, the President said, was also expected to reduce the time spent in search for water by people of the beneficiary communities, especially women and children, minimise the affliction of water-borne diseases and maximise the social and health benefits of clean, safe and reliable drinking water.

He assured residents of the Region that Government had plans to increase further water coverage, with the next phase of the Project soon to be implemented to benefit communities in the remaining two districts, i.e. North Tongu and Ho West.

President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that Government would continue to create an enabling environment, through the provision of social infrastructure, to attract investment to rural communities.

With potable water coming to the area, he urged investors to take advantage of Government's Flagship Programmes, such as “One- District, One-Factory” to establish small and medium scale factories to exploit the natural resources of the area, create employment for the youth, and stimulate the growth and development of the local economy.

The President admonished beneficiary communities to own and protect the infrastructure to ensure sustainability of services.

He urged the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, the implementing Agency of the Project, to ensure its timely completion in accordance with required standards and specifications.

Key components of the Project, which would see the laying of transmission and distributions lines over 132 kilometers, included installation of booster stations, elevated concrete tanks, health and hygiene education and environmental and social safeguards.