Multi-million dollar water project in danger ….As developers encroach

AN ONGOING Water expansion project being undertaken by the Dutch Government in Kumasi, on behalf of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), is likely to suffer a serious jolt, as encroachers have taken over the land earmarked for the project.

Vast acres of land allotted for the project at Anoo, near the Prempeh College, Sofoline, have been taken over by private developers, who are said to be developing the land, under the authority of a claimant to the Anoo stool, Maame Ama Manu.

The Dutch partners, according to information, have been reluctant to proceed with the project, as a result of the raging controversies over the land, in spite of paying over GH¢100,000 as royalties to the traditional rulers of the Anoo community.

The development is said to have angered youth in the community, who are alleged to be bracing themselves for a showdown with Maame Ama Manu and her cohorts, who are being accused of delaying the project.

The Ghana Water Company Limited was said to have acquired the land way back in 1974, under the name of Ghana Water and Sewage Corporation, for the construction of water reservoir to address the challenges confronting the production of water in the Kumasi metropolis.

The company has since the acquisition of the land, not been able to develop to its fullest with the construction of just one reservoir which is not sufficient to meet the demands of its customers.

The Dutch partners, therefore, decided to assist the management of GWCL by constructing additional reservoir to supplement the one currently being operated by the water company.

But the project has since its commencement, been abandoned because of the long standing dispute over the ownership of the land.

A spokesperson for the Anoo Royal Family, Mr. Peter Otchere, lamented to The Chronicle that the delay of the project is a source of concern to the people living in the community.

Mr. Otchere said the youth of the Anoo community had been agitating over the matter, threatening on several occasions to embark on demonstration to register their displeasure, but had been denied by elders of the community.

The spokesperson for the Anoo community told the paper that the matter concerning ownership of the land was currently before the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II awaiting adjudication.

He said information he had gathered was that the Asokore Mampong chief, Nana Ansah Debrah, has asked the management of GWCL to go ahead and undertake the project, but checks from the company indicates that it has suspended the work because of the disputes surrounding the land.

The GWCL, according to information received by the paper, wants all matters settled and the encroachers dragged from the site before it will go ahead with the construction of the reservoir.

Mr. Otchere has, therefore, called for speedy arbitration of the case to avoid the seeming tension that is brewing within the community.