Agreement for Kwanyaku Water Supply System Signed

Accra, Dec. 18, GNA - A 24 million-euro contract agreement for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Kwanyaku Water Supply system in Central region was signed in Accra on Thursday.

The agreement signed between the Ghana Water Company and Messrs Denys Engineers and Contractors BV of the Netherlands is being financed under the Dutch Government Development Aid programme. Thirty-five per cent of the total contract sum is being provided in the form of a grant.

Execution of the project, however, is expected to start in the first quarter of 2004 after the contract agreement is approved by Cabinet and ratified by Parliament.

Mr Samuel Lamptey, Acting Managing Director, signed the contract for Ghana Water Company while Mr Bruno Geltmeyer, Director of Works Denys signed on behalf of his company.

Under the terms of the project, the capacity of the water treatment plant would be enhanced from the current level of 14,000 cubic metres daily to 35,000 cubic metres in line with the Government's vision to improve the water supply situation in the area and meet the demand up to 2015.

It would also involve the dredging of the Kwanyaku Lake, construction of a 2,500 cubic metres capacity water tower at Swedru and the laying of new 300 - millimetre pipeline from Kwanyaku to Swedru. An estimated 650,000 inhabitants of Agona Swedru, Apam, Bawjiase, Ajumako Besease, Manford among other places would benefit from reliable water supply systems when the project is completed.

Alhaji Idris Mustapha Ali, Minister of Works and Housing, said the Government was committed to resolving the perennial water problem that the people in the Central Region faced.

He said getting potable water to the rural poor was at the heart of the Government's efforts and expressed the hope that the project would go a long way to reduce the stress that inhabitants had to go through to access water.

Alhaji Ali lauded the contractors for offering to assist in the operations and maintenance of the plant for two years after the completion of the project.

This, he said, would lead to the transfer of technology and know-how to the staff of the Ghana Water Company Limited. Alhaji Ali asked the contractors to offer good and quality workmanship during construction and to treat the Ghanaian employees with the decency they required.

Mr Lamptey said the Ghana Water Company was making efforts to improve urban water supply from the current level of 59 per cent to 70 per cent.

He said the Company was undergoing restructuring to enable it to attract the necessary funds to build on the infrastructure. Mr Bruno Geltmeyer said the project would be executed on schedule and called for a high level of cooperation from Ghanaians and key stakeholders. 18 Dec. 03