The persistence of the Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw, has led to the discovery of a GH¢ 20,000 bore hole drilled in 2003.
According to the Greater Accra Regional Hydrologic Engineer of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) Jerry Asigbey, the agency sank the borehole in 2003 with assistance from the DANIDA phase three project and was intended to be mechanized to serve communities in the area.
Mr. Asigbey says “However, try as we did, we could not secure funding from the government to complete the mechanization process”.
Mechanization of the bore hole will cost US$ 910 .It is 80.75 metres deep with the capacity to produce 10,667 gallons of water per hour. When complete, this bore-hole sited deep in the forest around Adoteiman, off the Adenta Aburi Highway, would be able to serve Amrahia, Ashiyie, Amanfrom, Adenta and all their surrounding villages with water.
This would alleviate the acute water crisis in those vicinities which keep getting worse by the day; Adenta has been without water for close to three weeks.
It took some determination from Dr. Bissew who was on familiarization visit and her team some effort to located the abandoned borehole. The team had to abandon their vehicles about three kilometers to go in search of the location of the bore hole.
An octogenarian farmer, Cephas Korku Ocloo, who was on his farm, about 500 meters from the search location had to led the team to the drilling point which had overgrown with shrubs.
Mr. Asigbey told the minister that the CWSA has the expertise to provide mechanized bore-holes throughout Accra but due to lack of funds, these plans have not seen much progress.
He asked government to make funds available, saying, “If GWCL needs $10 million in a year, just 20 % of that can help CWSA to do a lot of work to complement GWCL’s efforts.
She also visited the Oyibi, where the community is served from a mechanized bore-hole constructed by the CWSA. The systems manager, Angelina Adoglah-Mensah said the system which is on a dual bore-hole produces a total of 57,200 gallons (260 cubic meters) in a day, serving all the surrounding communities including the Good News Theological College, Ghana Christian College and the hamlets around Oyibi.
Dr. Bissiw urged them to use 10% of revenue they retain to develop household toilet facilities for the people in order to help in achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) in sanitation.
By Justice Lee Adoboe (Financial Intelligence)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
World Water Week opens in Stockholm
Stockholm August 16-22, 2009
The 2009 World Water Week has opened in Stockholm . The World Water Week in Stockholm is the annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues.
Organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute, it brings together experts, practitioners, decision makers and leaders from around the globe to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions. The theme for 2009 is Responding to Global Changes: Accessing Water for the Common Good.
Visit the WaterCube podcast and listen to interviews with the conference participants conducted by seasoned reporters and advocates including Ghana’s Naa Lamily Bentil.
Follow daily events at the World Water Week.
The 2009 World Water Week has opened in Stockholm . The World Water Week in Stockholm is the annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues.
Organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute, it brings together experts, practitioners, decision makers and leaders from around the globe to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions. The theme for 2009 is Responding to Global Changes: Accessing Water for the Common Good.
Visit the WaterCube podcast and listen to interviews with the conference participants conducted by seasoned reporters and advocates including Ghana’s Naa Lamily Bentil.
Follow daily events at the World Water Week.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
IRC sponsors GWJN member to World Water Week
Harriet Naa Lamiley Bentle,a senior environmental reporter with the Daily Graphic and a member of the Ghana Watsan Journalist Network (GWJN) has been selected by IRC to attended the World Water Week in Stckholm from August 16 to the 22,2009.
While at World Water Week in Stockholm,Naa Lamiley will conduct interviews for "the Water Cube" an online video site .
While at World Water Week in Stockholm,Naa Lamiley will conduct interviews for "the Water Cube" an online video site .
Koforidua water project nearing completion
The €35 million water project designed to solve the water delivery problem in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua and its environs is nearing completion, Project Manager at the site, Allan Okomeng-Mensah told Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Hannah Bissiw last week.
With the completion of the phase one of the project which involves the construction and installation of equipment at the treatment plant at Ortekpelu, 24 kilometres from Koforidua, all that is left is the completion of the booster station currently close to finishing, and Koforidua would start receiving adequate water by December 2009.
Mr. Okomeng-Mensah explained to the deputy minister who paid a familiarization visit to the project site that when completed, the plant which was test-run for 21 days in February has the capacity to produce 4.2 million gallons of water a day.
According to him, when this capacity is added to the 1.2 million gallons being produced currently at Koforidua, residents would be able to receive water supply seven days in the week, 24 hours a day.
Currently water is being rationed for residents who are served once a week from the Koforidua treatment plant, but this is set to change as soon as Ortekpelu comes on board.
“In addition to the regional capital, both Osiem and Old Tafo with all communities along the way from Ortekpelu to Koforidua will also be served”, Mr.Okomeng-Mensah disclosed, adding that “we are also installing small and large community stand pipes to serve communities along the way from Koforidua to Osiem and Old Tafo as well”
He said the new project was designed, taking into consideration, the future development of commercial and industrial activity in the capital. For this reason, he explained that the current provision of 10 gallons per person per day will be doubled so that even with future development there would not be a problem of water shortage.
According to him, the intake, which is 8.5 km from Ortekpelu has a dual intake system with a floating pontoon stationed on that side of the Volta River. He added that in the seasons when water levels go down the pontoon which has a pump installed on it would pump water to the treatment plant. Hon. Dr. Bissiw urged the contractors, DENYS to deliver on schedule so as to bring to an end permanently the water delivery problem of Koforidua.
In a related development, the program to start pumping water from the Agona Kwanyarko treatment plant to Kasoa is also on course.
This project, when completed would take Kasoa off the Weija supply system in order to free some more water at Weija to boost the Accra supply.
It is funded by a € 12.2 million loan and grant from the Netherland government with DENYS as the contractors. Currently the Kwanyarko plant produces 35,000 cubic metres (7.7 million gallons) a day which was expanded plant in 2007.
While the Kasoa supply system comes on board, the dam level would be raised by two metres and dredging carried out to expand the capacity of the dam to extend supplies to parts of Accra. The Sub-Saharan Divisional Manager for DENYS Bart D. Smedt disclosed that the project would be complete by the end of 2009.
He assured the minister that with the current capacity the 2025 target would still be met without any shortfalls.
The Station Manager of Aqua Vitens Rand, Gideon Asare Annor also stated that currently the new plant is only doing 60% of its capacity and so water can comfortably be taken beyond Kasoa when the dredging of the dam on River Ayensu is completed.
Written by Justice Lee Adoboe(Koforidua)Financial Intelligence
Aqualyng to alleviate Accra’s water crisis
Aqualyng Ghana Ltd a private utilities company is working feverishly on a project to alleviate the water needs of Accra’s coastal suburbs af Teshie, Nungua, La, Labadi Beach Hotel and other nearby communities.
In that direction, the company is directing a 40 million dollar investment to purify the sea water for the consumption of the coastal communities.
Speaking to the media during a tour of facilities of the company at the Tema Harbour and the Nungua Beach, Managing Director of Aqualing, Henry K. Ofori explained that the company is using the processes of desalination and reverse osmosis to transform the sea water into portable drinking water for the communities.
According to him the same system has been used in California, Spain, Israel and the Middle East to produce portable drinking water for the people.
Mr. Ofori assured that the technology being used would completely make the water clean, hygienic and healthy for human consumption. He also gave the assurance that although the project is capital-intensive, the water would be supplied to the Ghana Water Company which would in turn deliver to consumers at the same rates fixed by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission.
According to Mr. Ofori, Aqualyng is undertaking the project with support from Standard Bank of South Africa who gave them the credit facility for the project.
Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Albert Abongo said government would support private investments into the water sector but would also ensure that tariffs are affordable for consumers.
He commended Aqualyng for their initiative, and charged them to ensure that water is delivered on schedule with the quality of the end product not being compromised.
Managing Director of Ghana Water Company Ltd, Kwaku Botwe said that the pipes would be laid one Kilometre into the sea; hence waste would not be a problem. He also explained that Aqualyng would be working to standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure that the water to be produced is finally safe for human consumption.
In that direction, the company is directing a 40 million dollar investment to purify the sea water for the consumption of the coastal communities.
Speaking to the media during a tour of facilities of the company at the Tema Harbour and the Nungua Beach, Managing Director of Aqualing, Henry K. Ofori explained that the company is using the processes of desalination and reverse osmosis to transform the sea water into portable drinking water for the communities.
According to him the same system has been used in California, Spain, Israel and the Middle East to produce portable drinking water for the people.
Mr. Ofori assured that the technology being used would completely make the water clean, hygienic and healthy for human consumption. He also gave the assurance that although the project is capital-intensive, the water would be supplied to the Ghana Water Company which would in turn deliver to consumers at the same rates fixed by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission.
According to Mr. Ofori, Aqualyng is undertaking the project with support from Standard Bank of South Africa who gave them the credit facility for the project.
Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Albert Abongo said government would support private investments into the water sector but would also ensure that tariffs are affordable for consumers.
He commended Aqualyng for their initiative, and charged them to ensure that water is delivered on schedule with the quality of the end product not being compromised.
Managing Director of Ghana Water Company Ltd, Kwaku Botwe said that the pipes would be laid one Kilometre into the sea; hence waste would not be a problem. He also explained that Aqualyng would be working to standards set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure that the water to be produced is finally safe for human consumption.
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