Fodzoku community calls for portable water

Fodzoku (V/R) Feb 1, GNA - Fodzoku, farming and fishing resettlement community along the banks of the Volta Lake in the North Tongu District, on Tuesday appealed to the Government for the provision of potable water to check the spread of bilharzias and guinea worm infestations.

The community members mostly dressed in red apparels as a sign of protest against the Volta River Authority (VRA), which resettled them, amidst the chanting of war song, said they would no longer tolerate VRA's apathetic attitude towards them in the provision of water and electricity.

Many of the inhabitants, who carried placards, some of which read: "War on VRA, Give Us Water"; "2.2 Billion Cedis and a Volvo for Retirement Benefits, whilst Fodzoku goes thirsty"; "You build millions for yourselves whilst we live in havoc"; and "VRA why so cruel?" Mr Pythias Klu, an opinion leader of the community, told the GNA during a visit to the resettlement area that although the Fodzoku people sacrificed their old site for the construction of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams, which were providing Ghanaians with electricity and good drinking water, "we have been denied these amenities".

He said since the VRA settled the Fodzoku community members at the present site, life had become increasingly unbearable for the community members.

"The only sources of water for the Resettlement for the past 26 years have been three standpipes, which used to flow only in the night but for the past 10 months there has not been even a drop and the bilharzias infested lake water was the only option available to them in addition to a stream, which was mainly used by animals, especially the cattle.

"The main problem from our investigation is that the water booster to get water to our community, situated at the VRA premises at Akuse has broken down and the VRA is doing nothing to restore it for us to enjoy potable water," he said, adding that several pleas to the VRA had fallen on deaf ears.

Mr Klu, an immediate past government appointee to the North Tongu District Assembly, said although the VRA in the early stage of their resettlement used to give periodic treatment against bilharzias, "that programme had long been stopped making the disease endemic in the area".

Mr Klu said the VRA had labelled Fodzoku as its security zone so would not allow any investment or developmental projects without consultation, "yet they refuse to attend to us when we call on them". On the provision of electricity, Mr Klu said about 80 per cent of the over 6,000 residents of the Fodzoku Resettlement Area did not benefit from electricity because the Electricity Company of Ghana, required that the community members acquired their own meters and connections at prices not lower than a million cedis.

"A people, who sacrificed almost all their land for the progress of their nation should not be treated this way," he said.

Mr Klu called on the Government to add Fodzoku to its rural electrification programme, where just a small amount of money was required to be paid by the inhabitants.

Mr Fredrick Kweku Navor, a teacher at the community school, said most pupils came to school very late because they often had to walk over a kilometre to the lakeside to get water for their household chores. Madam Mercy Quarcoo, a Superintendent Community Health Nurse, also appealed to the VRA to resume the periodic treatment for bilharzias and guinea worm.

When the VRA was contacted on the allegations, Ms Abla Fiadjoe, Acting Director, Corporate Services, admitted that the booster that supplied water to the Fodzoku community had been down for some time. "However, it has long since been repaired but we could not pump water to the Fodzoku community because we realised that the main pipe that supplied water to the people was leaking in three areas. We tried to get them informed, for them to contact the Ghana Water Company for it to work on the pipelines.

"However, when our men went to Fodzoku last Monday to inform the Chiefs about the latest development on the pipelines, our people were attacked and they had to retreat.

"The Fodzoku people told our men that they knew how to channel their grievances to the appropriate quarters and so they were not needed in their town," Ms Fiadjoe said.

On the issue of the Fodzoku people being denied electricity, Ms Fiadjoe said VRA only produced electricity, but the distribution was handled by the Electricity Company of Ghana and that was where the people of Fodzoku should address their grievances.

"We cannot say that because their old site was submerged by the creation of the Lake so they should be given free electricity. No! A number of people and communities have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice for the development of the nation in one way or the other, yet they are treated equally on the supply of social amenities.

"Moreover the equipment for the processing of electricity was purchased from other countries and this has to be paid for, so all citizens have to contribute in the form of payment of tariffs for us to offset the cost and also keep the equipment in good condition for the usage of all Ghanaians. So as for the issue of free electricity I doubt if that would be possible," she said.

On the issue of cracks on the buildings, Ms Fiadjoe said it was rather pathetic that the people of Fodzoku continued to regard the properties as if it belonged to VRA without maintaining them. It is now their properties and they have to ensure that they kept them in habitable conditions, she said. 1 Feb 07