Water security plan inaugurated for Bongo, Bawku West districts

A five-year water security plan for the sustainable supply of potable water to communities in the Bongo and the Bawku West districts in the Upper West Region has been inaugurated at Bolgatanga.

The initiative was facilitated by WaterAid, a non-governmental organisation, with support from other partners. It was put together by a team of experts made up of staff of the two beneficiary districts, the Water Resources Commission (WRC), the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA).

Plan

The plan will require a total investment of $7.2 million to enable the two districts to build robust and climate-resilient water systems.

The Programmes Officer of WaterAid, Ghana, Mr Felix Gbevillah, explained that the initiative, when effectively implemented, would enable the beneficiary districts to construct more water storage facilities such as dams, dug- outs, hand -dug wells and boreholes.

He said the plan also encouraged the beneficiary districts to sensitise their respective community members to the effects of engaging in activities such as farming close to river banks and bush burning.

The Assistant Basin Officer of the White Volta Basin Secretariat of the WRC, Mr Andrew Asaviansa, said even though the WRC had the capacity, it would need requisite resources to offer technical advice to boost water security in the two districts.

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Collaboration

The Country Director of WaterAid, Mr Abdul-Nashiru Mohammed, stressed the need for the development partners to pool resources to ensure the realisation of water security in the two districts.

The District Coordinating Director for Bongo, Alhaji Mohammed Issifu Fawei, and the District Engineer for Bawku West, Mr Paul Musah, expressed their preparedness to mobilise the needed resources, with the support of other stakeholders, to actualise the initiative.

They also gave an assurance that the plan would be incorporated into the development plans of their respective assemblies.