Borehole for Oduman Community

Oduman (G/R) Sept. 7, GNA - The people of Oduman, a farming community in the Greater Accra Region, on Tuesday hailed the inauguration of a borehole that brought to an end their perennial water shortage problem.

They drummed, sang and danced in appreciation of the 35 million cedis facility, which would make them not to use the often-polluted local water source- the Nsaki stream, which has served the more than 2,000 inhabitants for ages.

Nii Odu IV, Chief of the Town, cheerfully thanked the benefactors, Ga Mashie Centre for Education and Environmental Development (GaCEED), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which aims at promoting quality education and clean environment.

He said, even though the water yield from the borehole was a bit salty, the people should patronize it, rather than using the polluted Nsaki stream.

Nii Odu appealed to the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to find a solution to the problem. He called on the Government to promote skill training in the community since the youth in the community were unemployed. He also urged other NGOs to help the community to establish a school in the area, saying: "We have a 6.5 hectares set aside for school project but have no source of funding."

Nii Odu appealed for more boreholes to be sunk in the community since one would not be enough for the 2,000 people in the community. Mr Bismarck Amoako-Nyarko, Assistant to the Advisor of NGO Funds at the German Development Service (DED), financiers of the project, complained about the lack of commitment in the community.

He observed "most people in this community do not show any commitment when projects of such nature are being constructed in the area".

He said the lack of commitment would deter other donor agencies from constructing projects in the area.

Mr Amoako-Nyarko advised the chief to send a proposal to the German Embassy to enable DED fund the school project. Mr Raymond Tettey, an Administrator at GaCEED, said GaCEED was committed to the promotion of education and good environmental conditions for people in rural communities.

He said GaCEED would also construct a KVIP for the community and called for the support and corporation of the people. Mr Kofi Acquah, Assembly Member for Manhean Electoral Area, who inaugurated the borehole jointly with the chief, urged the people to carry out regular maintenance to ensure a longer lifespan.