The President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, has directed the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to provide pipe-borne water to residents of Asuboi, near Abofuor in the Offinso Municipality of the Ashanti Region. He has also asked the Ministry of Health (MOH) to take immediate steps to vaccinate all residents of Asuboi to contain the outbreak of skin disorders. The President's directives were issued in response to the invasion of black flies at Asuboi and its adjoining villages. The eggs of the black flies have contaminated river Boa, the only source of water for the community and its environs, resulting in the outbreak of skin diseases that are afflicting several residents, particularly children. In his directive, President Mills said it was also important for the MOH to provide the Asuboi community with a health post to enhance health care delivery. The Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Ms Anima Wilson, who announced the President's directives as part of her fact finding visit to Asuboi expressed concern about the plight of residents in the affected communities, assuring that their problems would receive emergency attention. Ms Wilson, who is also the acting Offinso Municipal Chief Executive, said the government recognised the plight of the people of Asuboi, hence the issuance of the emergency directives by the President to the CWSA, the Ministry of Health and the Offinso Municipal Assembly to address the situation. She said the assembly had already contracted the Zoomlion Ghana Limited to spray the Asuboi area to curb the invasion of the black flies. "Next month, you will see doctors and health personnel arriving in the area to vaccinate everyone to contain the problem," she assured. The Deputy Regional Minister said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government was not only committed to improving the lives of the rural dwellers but was duty bound to support them in diverse ways to facilitate accelerated socio-economic development. She said the Department of Feeder Roads was in the process of carrying out maintenance works on the 12-km Abofuor-Asuboi road to make it accessible to vehicles at all times. The caretaker Chief of Asuboi, Nana Osei Wusu, said in spite of the proximity of Asuboi to Abofuor and Sekyedumasi in the Ejura Sekyedumasi district, it had poor road infrastructure, making it difficult for goods and services to be transported smoothly. "This area is a food basket for the country. All the foodstuffs from Sekyedumasi and several other towns and villages, meant for the Kumasi and Abofuor markets, pass through this area but we have been totally neglected when it comes to road maintenance," he complained. Appealing to the government to rehabilitate the roads, Nana Osei Wusu said it was important for the government to address the problem of water pollution to curb the problems of river blindness and skin diseases in the area. He appealed to Ms Wilson to intervene to reactivate their electrification project, which had been abandoned by the Rural Electrification Project for nearly two months due to insufficient logistics. Source: Daily Graphic