People of Yeji have been denied water for more than 15 years - Kwabena Donkor laments

Member of Parliament for Pru East, has lamented about the lack of water in the Yeji.

According to him, the people have been denied water for over 15 years due to disrupted water supply.

Kwabena Donkor raised this concern when he asked the sanitation minister when the broken-down water systems in Yeji and Parambo-Sawaba will be restored.

In response to this the Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, stated that the Yeji water system got flooded in 2010 resulting in damage.

“Mr. Speaker, the Yeji water system was constructed in 2006, taking its raw water source from the Volta River. The system provided the water needs of the community under the management of a private operator, Messrs. TBL Resources Limited.

"In 2010, the water intake point for the system got flooded, resulting in damage to the pump house, surface pumps and treatment plant, all located at Yeji.

She added the Government of Ghana, through the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, has awarded a contract for the rehabilitation and expansion of the system, at a total cost of Five Million and Forty-Five Thousand, Three Hundred and Ninety Ghana Cedis, Fifty-Nine Pesewas (GH$5,045,390.59).

This project she says, has been completed and final inspection and taking over by CWSA is underway.

“…Water supply to the community was disrupted and since the private operator could not make adequate investments to undertake major repairs and maintenance, it has affected the operational efficiency of the system making it economically not viable to the operator who consequently abandoned the management of the water system in 2011.

“Mr Speaker, as part of efforts to ensure efficient provision and management of water systems, the CWSA took over the management of the system in 2018, and sought to rehabilitate and improve its operational efficiency.

"Currently, the contractor has completed all works and final inspection and taking over by CWSA is underway. Mr Speaker, in the case of the Parambo-Sawaba water system which was constructed in 2008, it was also affected by floods resulting in disruption of water supply to the community. The private operator, Messrs. ABCO Limited could not repair the damaged system and so, abandoned the facility in 2011,” she added.

Cecilia Dapaah added that the government, through Community Water and Sanitation Agency, has carried out a valuation of water system.

“As part of the drive towards efficient management of water systems in the country, the CWSA carried out an assessment of the water system in 2022 with the aim of reconstructing it. The assessment indicated that the intake and pump control room were damaged and required complete replacement. The treatment plant was also partially damaged and so required rehabilitation,” she added.

YNA/WA