Tamale (N/R), May 1, GNA - The government has been urged to include the Rope Pump Technology (RPT) on the list of approved pumps to be used in the country to draw water from the ground. This would enable every household, especially in the rural communities, to have access to clean water, Mr Iliasu Adam, Programme Coordinator of Community Life Improvement Programme, (CLIP) said at a stakeholders' conference on the RPT in Tamale at the weekend. The conference, organized by CLIP in collaboration with Rural Aid, both Northern Ghana-based NGOs, formed part of efforts by NGOs in rural water delivery to promote low cost technology options to improve on rural water service delivery.

The RPT, produced locally, is a shaft-like device, which is mounted on a hand dug well, and it efficiently draws or lifts water from the well by turning the 93shaft".

This ensures the purity of the water as it prevents all manner of materials from being used to draw water from the well. Besides, the well is permanently covered.

However, the government through the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), recognizes only four imported types of pumps for national use. They are Nira, India Mark (2), Afridev and Verjnef. Mr Adam said failure to recognize or approve the use of the RPT in the country was depriving many rural communities access to clean water because members of such communities cannot afford the imported pumps, which are more expensive than the compared RPT. He explained that each of the imported pumps cost at least US$1,200 for a 15-meter hand dug well thus four times more expensive than the cost of the RPT.

He noted that apart from providing clean water for domestic use, the RPT was also efficient in helping to irrigate farms, saying this would help address food security problems during the dry season. He said adopting the RPT could also help to safeguard the environment. Mr Gani Tijani, Chief Executive of Rural Aid, said rural communities in the Upper East Region (UER) had embraced the RPT, explaining that so far, 800 RPT's had been installed there while it was also being piloted in parts of the Northern and Upper West Regions.

He said the RPT was first produced in 2000, with Burkina Faso and Nigeria coming to study its manufacture. However, Burkina Faso has now been declared an RPT hub of West Africa, leaving Ghana behind. He said the CWSA recently formulated a draft legislation on the use of pumps in the country, saying the document, which is awaiting a Legislative Instrument (L.I) status from the government failed to recognize the RPT.

He therefore, called on the government to include the RPT in the final L.I., saying this would make the technology affordable to the people as well as help create jobs for the local people who developed it (RPT).