The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Alban Bagbin, has affirmed the government's commitment to address the housing deficit and improve water delivery to households. Consequently, he said, various housing and water projects were being undertaken by the ministry, in collaboration with its agents, throughout the country. Speaking at the meet-the-press series organised by the Ministry of Information in Accra yesterday, Mr Bagbin cataloged various water and housing projects being undertaken by the government in the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDA's), as well as those that had been completed. He said the annual cost of meeting the housing deficit was between $2 billion and $3.6 billion, adding that the shortage would be addressed in 10 years. Explaining the projects one after another, the minister said the government had extended the affordable housing project to five more regions, while it had partnered the private sector, particularly the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA), to address the housing deficit. He said the Job 600 project, which is being tackled in earnest, was being converted into parliamentary offices with facilities such as committee rooms, an auditorium, a post office, a banking hall, a clinic and a restaurant. Mr Bagbin said some of the houses were about 80 per cent complete, adding that 700 had already been given out. He explained that the project delayed because it was being funded with scarce resources from government coffers. He said the State Housing Company (SHC) planned to redevelop some of its old housing estates at Kanda, Laterbiokorshie, Kaneshie, among others, to improve living standards there and also facilitate the redevelopment of government bungalows. He said the company had also proposed to undertake some projects, including the Ituma Housing Project in the Shama-Ahanta District, the Asakae Housing Project in Takoradi, the Elubo Housing Project and the refurbishment of all SHC guest houses nation-wide, and launch a national housing register. Mr Bagbin said the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) was developing 340 acres of land at Tema Community 24 at a cost of GH¢22 million. He announced that the values of the bond of the Public Service Housing Loan Scheme Board (PSHLS) stood at GH¢8,134,800 in 2008 and urged eligible workers to access it. He said workers were eligible for loans up to GH¢25,000, with an interest rate between 10 and 15 percent. He said under the rural housing project, 26 houses had been awarded for construction. He said out of the 26 houses, the Brong Ahafo Region had six; Ashanti, five, Eastern Region five, and Western, five. He said the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL), over which his ministry had oversight responsibility, trained 2,320 students in that area of specialty between 2009 and 2011. On the Keta Resettlement Scheme, Mr Bagbin said 115 housing units were under construction at a cost of GHc1.9 million. He said the Public Works Department was facilitating the construction of Judicial Service bungalows while under the urban redevelopment project, 70 per cent of the Dixcove coastline works had been completed at a cost of Ghc 30,330. He said the Ningo-Prampram and the Sakumono Coastal Protection works would start by the end of the year, while the Korle Lagoon project was ongoing. Touching on water, Mr Bagbin said the government was improving access to safe drinking water and decent sanitation facilities in rural communities. He said urban water coverage increased from 58.7 per cent in 2008 to 63.9 per cent at the end of the first quarter in 2011. The minister of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Volta River Authority (VRA) were putting up an additional thermal plant in the Central Region to increase water distribution there. He said it was envisaged that upon completion of the plant, a target population of 11,734,098 would enjoy potable water, adding that the government's target was to reach 85 per cent of water coverage for the country by 2015. He said the Water Resources Commission (WRC) had issued 170 permits to institutions for the usage of water and granted 82 licenses to drillers of boreholes to operate in the country. He said the commission was also facilitating the dredging of the Volta River, while a buffer zone policy had been implemented to plant trees along river banks in response to climate change. Source: Daily Graphic