Oguaa water expansion project completed

Sekyere-Heman (W/R), Dec 21, GNA- An official of the Ghana Water Company (GWC), on Wednesday announced that the Cape Coast water expansion project has been completed. He, however, expressed concern that the illegal prospecting for alluvial gold in the Pra River, was threatening project. Mr Hanyabui, who is the GWC's Project Manager in charge of the Project, expressed worry that some unscrupulous persons, within the catchment area, were using chemicals like mercury to prospect for alluvial gold.

The Project Manager, who expressed the concern, when newsmen visited the project site to ascertain the progress of work, said the practice would caused pollution and affect the quality of water being produced from the river.

Mr Hanyabui said the Project, which began in November 2005, would ensure the production of 30,000 cubic meters of water a day up to the year 2020.

He said this was expected to augment water supply to Cape Coast and its environs, and to especially improve supply within the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem district. Mr Hanyabui explained that to fine-tune the treatment plant, a test, which should have ended, was on- going due to the frequent power outages at the site.

Mr Hanyabui gave the assurance that water distribution, would begin in January next year, with the plant becoming fully operational by June the same year.

Mr Hanyabui said the GWC, would lay new pipelines to improve water supply in areas like Kissi, Abrem-Agona and Komenda, and provide standpipes within smaller communities in the district. He said with the rehabilitation of the Brimsu plant, supply of water to Cape Coast and its environs had increased from 11,360 cubic meters a day to 29, 200 cubic metres a day.

Mr Hanyabui, accompanied by Mr Paul Breukers, Project Engineer for Ballast Nedam, contractors for the project, later conducted reporters round the plant to explain the processes involved in the production of potable water.

When the GNA contacted Mr Hanyabui on Thursday following reports of lack of water supply to at the Central Regional Hospital, Cape Coast, he said the problem was at the block of flats provided by the Ministry of Health for staff at the hospital.

He explained that the Ministry gave out the expansion of water supply to the flats on contract to a private contractor and not to the GWC. The Cape Coast water expansion project was funded by the Dutch government, under the ORET/MILEV Programme, at Sekyere-Heman in the Mpohor-Wassa east district. It involved the construction of an intake plant on the Pra River and a treatment plant. About sixty kilometers of pipelines, were also laid and electricity supply connected to the area, while the Brimsu plant, which supplies water to Cape Coast and its environs, was also rehabilitated.