Accra, Oct. 21, GNA - The Mamponse Community Upgrading and Chemu Storm Drainage Project, under the Second Urban Environmental Sanitation Initiative, took off on Wednesday when President John Evans Atta Mills cut the sod for the 25 million-euro facility to be executed within two years. The project, solely financed by the French government, involves the construction of 275 metres of concrete-closed rectangular drains, 2,325 metres of concrete trapezoidal drains including inlets from main tributaries of the Chemu Lagoon and a 350 open unlined trapezoidal drain into the lagoon.

It also includes the upgrading of the water supply system for Manponse, which covers seven kilometres of water distribution ancillaries as well as 28 kilometres of U-Type drains along the roads and outlets to the lagoon. In addition, two concrete culverts spanning six metres will be constructed at Mamprobi crossing to Old Dansoman and environs, 10 solid waste containers including 15 cubic metre size skips for Chorkor and three toilets for Karikari and Gbegbese schools.

Again, there will be a construction of 14 kilometres of road and traffic management accessories with 250 solar powered street lights in the community including four 8-32 metre concrete foot bridges at the mid-stream, near Zammrama Line Station, and at the end of the drain near Ato Quarshie area, all communities in the Ablekuma South Constituency of the Greater Accra Region.

The project is to end the perennial flooding, improve sanitation and open up the community for business development to improve living conditions of the people.

In a keynote address, before cutting the sod for the commencement of the projects at Karikari, a suburb of Dansoman in Accra, President Mills reassured Ghanaians that his government would fulfil its promises to make the country a better place for all.

He noted that the government had had challenges but added that the challenges did not distract it but rather spurred it to do more to improve the living standards of the people saying "there is light at the end of the tunnel".

President Mills charged implementers of the project to do good quality job and assured the French government that accountability would be upheld to ensure that the project was completed on schedule and at the best of quality.

He called on the chiefs in the community to take interest in the projects because they were the first points of call for the people in terms of development.

Mr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, Chief Executive of Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), called on government to review the current distribution of the District Assemblies' Common Fund with a view to ending the over 45 per cent deduction at source from each district's common fund for activities such as sanitation and fumigation.

Mr Vanderpuije argued that the deduction be stopped because the primary responsibility of assemblies was to among other things, ensure environmental sanitation. Mr Benard Laporte, Deputy French Ambassador to Ghana, pledged his country's continued support to Ghana in areas of environmental sanitation. 21 Oct. 09