Rehabilitation of Salaga water system to be completed by January 2020

Residents of Salaga and its adjoining communities will soon be saved the trouble of having to walk long distances in such of water.

This follows the rehabilitation and expansion works on the Salaga water system after its takeover by Ghana Water Company Limited.

The company has since assured residents the project will be completed by January 2020.

The Salaga water system was constructed in 1962 but did not receive any major rehabilitation until 2017.

Prior to that, it was downgraded to a community water system and its management handed over to the Community Water and Sanitation due to non-payment of water bills.

The situation exposed Salaga to a perennial water crisis especially during the dry season.

Perennial water crisis then became a campaign message for politicians seeking election as MPs in the Salaga area.

However, the situation remained the same.

This, compelled residents to trek over 6 kilometres to Kpembe dam to fetch water while others travel over 9 kilometres to the Dakar river passing through Kalande for water.

In 2016, the East Gonja District Assembly through the local government secured a 150,000 cedis funding to build a booster station to pump water to Salaga township.

The assembly also committed an additional 100,000 cedis from its share of the District Assembly Common Fund to the project making it a total of 250,000 cedis.

Unfortunately, the project is yet to be completed.

In 2017, the management of the water system was taken from the community water system to urban water under the Ghana Water Company.

According to the companies Northern Region Distribution Manager Engineer, Joshua Ampah, the company has since taking over the water system undertaken several rehabilitation and expansion works.

“We have installed pipelines from the main inlet source and also changed all the transmission pipes covering over 18 kilometers”

He added a Glass Reinforced Plastic high level tank of 85,000 gallons capacity has also been installed at Kpembe.

“In order to get water supplied to Kpembe, Sisipe, Kalande and Nkwanta, we have erected a Glass overhead tank of 85,000 gallons capacity”

He revealed work is 90 per cent complete.

Mr Joshua assured residents work on the project will be fully completed by three months time.

So far, over 5 million Ghana cedis have been expended on the project.

Meanwhile the Managing Director of Ghana Water Company, Dr. Clifford Braimah has inspected work on the Salaga water system.