President Akufo-Addo has commissioned a ¢5.1 million Hamile-Happa Small Town Piped Water Supply System, located in the Lambussie constituency, in the Upper West Region.

According to Akufo-Addo, the Hamile-Happa Small Town Piped Water Supply System has been built at a cost of ¢5,122,829.54 and will provide a total of 168,444 gallons of water for 13,920 people.

A new 200 cubic metre high-level tank, and two rehabilitated steel tanks, both with a capacity of 120 cubic metres, will serve as storage for the water.

Speaking at the ceremony to commission the Water Supply Project on Saturday, the President noted that, in addition to Hamile-Happa, Lambussie is another beneficiary of the rural water supply system of the region.

“Indeed, the Upper West Region has also benefitted from the drilling and construction of 250 boreholes, fitted with hand-pumps, to improve access to potable water in 240 communities in five Districts, namely the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa, Sissala West, Lawra, Jirapa and Nandom Municipalities,” he said.

He also told the gathering that the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) has also completed water system designs for the construction of 10 more Small-Town Piped Water Systems in Pulima and Fielmour in the Sissala West District.

Others are in Eromon and Dowine in the Lawra Municipality, Koo-Tuopare and Gou Zumapare in the Nandom Municipality, Ullo and Duori in the Jirapa Municipality, and in Bussie and Issa in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District.

These water systems that have been designed, he assured, will be constructed under the next phase of the World Bank funding facility, adding that “under this same Sustainable Rural Water and Sanitation Project, the CWSA has facilitated the construction of 5,355 household latrines in the Upper West Region Region.”

Additionally, he stated that “2,014 digni-loo latrines have been provided for households to ensure that the communities have access to improved latrines. It is important to stress that the Region has achieved Open Defecation Free status in 104 communities, largely as a result of this intervention.”

President Akufo-Addo was expectant that, with the availability of potable water in Hamile now, new investors will take advantage of the Government’s 1-District-1-Factory flagship programme to establish small and medium scale factories, in order to open up the area for development, provide employment opportunities to the youth and improve the local economy.

He stressed that, his government would not relent in its efforts to increase access to ‘Water For All’, evidenced in the securing of funds for two other rural based water supply projects to increase access to potable water in rural communities.

“These are the Rural Communities and Small Towns Water Supply Project, otherwise known as the Aqua Africa Water Project, which will benefit 150 communities in the Ashanti, Eastern, Greater Accra, Oti and Volta Regions.

And Phase III of the Water Supply Scheme for Central Tongu, Adaklu Anyigbe, Agotime-Ziope Districts and the Ho Municipality. In addition, Government, through the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, has awarded contracts for the construction of 645 mechanised borehole systems nationwide,” he added.

Rural Water Supply Water Project

This Sustainable Rural Water and Sanitation Project which begun in 2017, has been financed with a credit facility from the World Bank, amounting to $47.5 million.

The Project components include the construction of piped water supply systems, support for household latrine construction, health and hygiene education, and environmental and social safeguards.

The Rural Water Project has been implemented successfully in 10 other Regions, namely Central, Ahafo, Bono, Bono East, Northern, Savannah, North East, Western, Western North and Upper East.

Some 432,609 people are beneficiaries of this project, whose aim is to increase access to potable water for all, in fulfilment of the New Patriotic Party’s commitment of “Water For All”.