Minister gives account of investment in water supply

Accra, March. 5, GNA - A total of 288.9 million euros and 123 million dollars in the form of grants and loans have been received between 2001 to date for the provision of only urban water. The funds were used for various projects in areas such as Cape Coast, Koforidua, Tamale and Winneba.

Mr. Abubakar Saddique Boniface, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, told Parliament on Wednesday that for the rural communities, different funds were used for the provision of boreholes and small town water supplies, among others.

The Minister was responding to a question on how much funds, in terms of grants and loans, had been received for the provision of water in the country since 2001 to date.

He said between 2005 and 2008 an amount of 36 million dollars come in for the provision of 73 piped water supply schemes in the Upper East and West, the Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and Central Regions with about 30 per cent of the projects completed.

In response to another question, the Minister said between October 2006 and February last year, an assessment study was carried out on the Ada Foah sea erosion problem with support from the Dutch government. "The report has been reviewed by the Ministry and it is now being used to source funding for the implementation of the Ada Sea Defence project from the international community," he said.

He was responding to a question on what the Ministry was doing to check sea erosion at Ada Foah to prevent the access road to the Dangme East district assembly block from being washed away. He said the estimated cost of the technical intervention needed to forestall further erosion was pegged at 40 million euros.