Embrace water/sanitation project-DCE

Winneba, Feb. 22, GNA - Assembly members operating in World Bank/Assisted Water and Sanitation Project beneficiary communities were on Tuesday told to embrace the water and sanitation projects to ensure total success.

Mr Solomon Quashie Abbam-Quaye, District Chief Executive for Awutu-Effutu Senya District (AES), made the call, when he launched the AES District Water and Sanitation Project at Winneba. Mr Abbam-Quaye charged Assembly members in the district to educate the people on the importance of the project, which sought to better the socio-economic status of the people in selected communities through the provision of potable water and toilet facilities.

He advised beneficiary communities to accept the challenge to pay the two million cedis commitment fee attached to the project in addition to intensive communal duties to speed up the implementation of the project.

Mr Abbam-Quaye said payment of the commitment fees, which was one of the supportive components of the project, would inject a strong sense of ownership in the people, and ensure effective maintenance of the facilities provided them.

He said the country could not afford to rely on foreign assistance forever and that was why Government was seriously involving individuals and organizations in the national reconstruction efforts through privatisation.

Mr Kwesi Esseku, the Presiding Member of the AES District Assembly said the time was overdue for Ghanaians to cultivate the spirit of self-reliance to accelerate the socio-economic development of their communities and their nation.

Mr Esseku praised the World Bank for selecting the AES District Assembly as one of the beneficiary districts in the country and assured both the local and foreign directors of the water and sanitation project of the Assembly's preparedness to use the resources to promote the project in the area.

Mrs Leticia Ackun, Extension Services Specialist attached to the project said seven districts in the Central Region, the AES, Ajumaku Enyan-Esian, Asikuma Odoben Brakwa, Agona, Assin South, Twifo Heman Lower, and Upper Denkyira districts, had been selected to benefit from the project.

She said under the four-year World Bank assisted project, selected communities would be provided with pipe-borne water, as well as household toilet facilities.

Mrs Ackun said special water reservoirs capable of storing hundreds of gallons of water would be constructed to supply pipe-borne water to selected communities, adding that, the project, which would cost billions of cedis was being funded by the World Bank.