CWSA needs GH¢6.7 million to supply water to rural communities

The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) requires a total of GH¢6.7 million to enable it sustain water supply to two of its schemes.

This would be used to do repair works at the “Three Districts Water Supply and Kweiman-Danfa Water Schemes,” so that about 435,000 people in over 168 communities in the Greater Accra would be supplied with safe drinking water. It also inherited an electricity debt of GH¢511,000.00 from the care takers of the water systems.

Ms Angela Hayford, the Greater Accra Water and Sanitation Engineer, said this during a media facility visit at the Three Districts Water Supply Scheme, Aveyime Treatment Plant.

She said the old equipment used in taking raw water, storing, processing, treating water before transporting would be repaired or changed entirely so the rural population would enjoy safe drinking water.

Mr Mohammed Ibrahim Adokor, Acting Director, Planning and Investment, said initially, donors through CWSA handed over water systems to the rural communities and they were managed by private entities and the communities, supervised the assemblies.

Along the line, the systems broke-down because the management process became ineffective, thus, CWSA had to come in to make reforms in order that the people would continue to enjoy quality water supply, generate more income as well as support government’s agenda on “Ghana Beyond Aid,” he said.

After the over GH¢1.7 million inherited nationwide, CWSA cannot leave the system in the hands of the communities because the water quality of about 33 percent did not even meet the standards of the Ghana Standards Authority and also 60 percent of the facilities were either performing abysmally or totally broken down, the Acting Director said.

Mr Adokor said the reform would bring on board professionals, transform CWSA into utility service provider, improve production capacity, increase water access to meet the Sustainable Goal Six (provision of water and sanitation for all) and create jobs for unemployed water professionals.

It would also ensure that the private sector comes in with equity in investment to manage and assemblies became facilitators to create enabling environment. Madam Pauline Tambro, Chief Public Relations Manager, said CWSA, which is under the Ministry of Water and Sanitation was not sacking the private sector, nor taking away water management from the communities but to help them manage them effectively, adding that over the past years, management of water has been done haphazardly.

District assemblies neglected their supervisory roles, private sector exploited the system and this led to its almost collapse, she stated adding that if cabinet approved CWSA’s memo, the private sector would add its quota in order to be part of the management process.

Mr David Etse Yao Agbavor, Water System Manager- Production, said when the raw water is collected, sediment is (allowed to settle) chlorinated and in general treated before being made available to consumers.

He said sand winning is the main challenge to the water production at the Aveyime- Three Districts Water Supply Scheme.