Parliament Approves Works and Housing Budget

Accra, March 2, GNA- Parliament on Tuesday approved the sum of 428.1 billion cedis for the Ministry of for the 2004 fiscal year.

The motion for approval was moved by the sector Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris and seconded by Mr. Sampson Darkoh, the Chairman of the Committee on Works and Housing.

The committee said the budget for the Ministry has been designed to fit the socio-economic development plan of the government.

"The underlying principle and focus are on poverty reduction, particularly in housing and water sub-sectors," The committee said. The Committee said the budget would also cater for the construction, drainage and hydrological works, equipment, logistics, provision of potable water and facilitate housing projects.

On some observations made by the Committee, Mr. Darkoh touched on inadequate funding, and said last year the Ghana Water Company Limited was given 2.4 billion cedis, which was inadequate for its activities, but "this has been further reduced in the 2004 budget to 810 million cedis."

"This development the committee believes would greatly undermine the work of the company. "

Mr. Darkoh said the committee expressed concern over the slow pace of work on the Korle Lagoon and said there was also report of people throwing both liquid and sold waste into the lagoon.

He said rural housing was given little attention by the Ministry to the extent that even the Rural Housing Department did not have a single computer to work with despite government's computerisation programme in all institutions.

He recommended that the district assemblies should be requested to pay five per cent of their common fund allocation to rural housing development.

0n the various agencies under the Ministry, Mr. Darkoh said the Hydrological Services Department in 2003 received an amount of 8.1 billion cedis for its investment expenses but this was reduced to 1.3 billion cedis for the year 2004.

He said the Rent Control Department and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency lacked adequate staffing while the Water Resources Commission was stifled because of difficulty in release of funds. Mr. Darkoh urged the Ministry of Finance to take measures to ensure early release of funds to the Ministry for it to carry out its functions.

Mr. Joe Gidisu, NDC-North Tongu, who touched on the provision of water urged the agencies responsible to help monitor quality of the water obtained from boreholes.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah- Bonsu, the Majority Chief Whip said it was or prime importance for the Ministry to put in more efforts to provide potable water for the communities because of the emergency of guinea worms in the north.

Mr. George Amoo, NPP-Ayawaso West Wuogon, said household should be educated to construct hand dug wells to held solve problems associated with shortage of water.