The Member of Parliament for Wassa Amenfi East Constituency in the Western Region, Hon Nicholas Amankwah, has summoned the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah to Parliament over lack of portable water supply to 3 communities in the Constituency.
According to the Amenfi East MP, water challenges in those Communities has compelled residents to scramble for unclean drinking water exposing them to health problems.
Posing the question to the sector Minister, Madam Cecilia Abena Daapah, on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, 21, the MP who is popularly known as “Home Boy” said the residents faced water supply problem and needed government immediate intervention.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources when Treatment Plants Units will be installed on the Small Town Water System Project located at Wassa Japa, Nananko and Abreshia in the Amenfi East Constituency to ensure provision of portable water for the residents.”
The sector minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah responding to the question mentioned that “the Japa Water System is a multi Community System serving Japa and Gyaamang Communities. It’s under the management of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency” she said.
Hon Cecilia Abena Dapaah added that “the Water System was completed in 2016, under the World Bank sustainable Rural Water supply project known as SRWSP with a design population of Nine thousand five hundred and seventeen”.
According to the minister, “the water system is based on the construction of water from two boreholes with the combined discharge of 22 cubic meters per hour and the storage of 150 cubic meter high level tank”.
Meanwhile the Water and Sanitation Minister stressed in her response that, “there is adequate supply of water to meet the demand” adding that to enhance water policy, treatment plant was installed and currently serving its purpose.
Cecilia Abena Dapaah emphasized that, Nananko, Abreshia Water System is also a multi water system serving Nananko and Abreshia Communities, indicating that the Water System was completed in 2016 under the World Bank project with the design population of five thousand nine hundred and eighty six respectively.
Giving a detailed account, the minister recounted that water source was from the two boreholes with combined discharge of 18 cubic meter per hour and a storage of hundred cubic meters high level tank. She said there’s adequate supply of water to meet demand.
She said, “the community is currently in charge of the management of the water system and all attempt to have Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to manage the system has been resisted by the community” she added.
However, she admitted that the Water System has a Water treatment plant to install but there are some difficulties in it management meanwhile, the CWSA is currently engaging the appropriate quarters to have technical and contractual issues resolved before the end of the year.
Additionally, the minister indicates that she is unaware as to why the water supply to Wassa Japa is currently unhygienic for public consumption and it’s associated challenges.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Kaakyire Kwasi Afari
