Assemblies to manage rural water systems

Rural water supply systems under the Community Water and Sanitation Agency throughout the country are to be transferred to the respective district assemblies as part of the Water Sector Restructuring Programme.

Mr. Kofi Asamoah, Chief Executive of the Agency told newsmen at Sekondi at the weekend that under the new arrangement rural water supply would be owned, managed, operated and maintained by the beneficiary communities through their district assemblies.

He said considering the poor state of the systems where many had broken down for several years, the government was renovating them before handing them over to the communities.

According to Mr Asamoah, six of such old systems were under renovation at Awaso, Anwhiaso, Asawinso, Old Yaakese, Dompim and Mpohor all in the Western Region.

Under the programme, the old mechanisms, which used to pump water through standpipes from elevated steel water tanks, would be replaced with boreholes.

Mr. Asamoah announced that so far 400 million cedis from the HIPC fund and two per cent rural water levy paid as part of the urban water bills to the Ghana Water Company had been spent on the renovation of the old water supply systems.

Proceeds from the rural water levy were transferred to the Community Water and Sanitation Agency to facilitate the renovations and training of members of the water and sanitation development boards.

Mr. Emmanuel Garveh, Western Regional Manager of the agency said the inclusion of any rural water supply into the new system for renovation would depend on the commitment of the community to take up the challenges.