E/R: Residents Of Djerkiti Now Have Portable Water....CHPS Compound To Be Constructed In the Village

Residents of Djerkiti, a rural Community in the Lower Manya-Krobo municipality of the Eastern region who only relied on a contaminated hand-dug pond for their source of drinking water now have a portable water for their domestic use.

The only bore-hole which was constructed by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), an international Non Governmental Organization, in the rural community broke down for close to three years now and all appeals made to their leaders both political and traditional fell on deaf ears.

A direct intervention by the Presidency from the Flagstaff House, Accra, ensured that engineers were sent to the village to repair the broken down bore hole for the people of Djerkiti at an undisclosed cost.

This was after Kloma Hengme, the Krobo advocacy and Heritage association, discovered their dehumanizing source of drinking water when the association visited Djerkiti to embark on a number of developmental exercises on May 22, 2016, and brought the plight of their people to the limelight.

At an inspection ceremony which came off in Djerkiti last Sunday and attended by officials from the Presidency and the management and members of the Kloma Hengme association, the residents expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the Kloma Hengme association for being their voice when they were voiceless by informing government of their plight and thereby they (government) coming to their aid.

A highly elated vociferous chief of Djerkiti, Dadematse Moses Tetteh Padi said ''We the people of Djerkiti will forever be grateful to Kloma Hengme for making our voice to reach very far, even to the Flagstaff [House]. We have made several petitions and wrote several letters to our leaders but all fell on the rocks. You came here, saw our contaminated water, and through you, we have portable water today''.

CONSTRUCTION OF A CHPS COMPOUND
In another development, after days of discussions between Kloma Hengme and officials from the Flagstaff house, the Presidency has also resolved to construct a Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound to provide rural health care for the people of Djerkiti. This health facility, when completed, will also benefit a number of satellite villages sorrounding Djerkiti including Onumako, Akorma Korpa, Trawa and Obelemanya.

Discussions for this project was finalised during a meeting at Djerkiti last Sunday which preceded the inspection exercise of the newly repaired bore hole. In attendance at the meeting was a presidential Staffer, Mr Abraham Fergusson and his entourage, chief and elders of Djerkiti and the Management and members of the Kloma Hengme association.

Under the agreement, a clayey structure which has been erected by the residents for a CHPS compound will be demolished due to safety concerns, and a new structure will be built by the presidency with cement block and modern architecture.

The Chairman of the Kloma Hengme association, Isaac Tamatey Otu, said the association is happy that the residents of Djerkiti can boast today of portable water for their domestic use, but said the association is disappointed in their Krobo leaders-both political and traditional- for always turning deaf ears to the many problems and challenges that are bedevilling the Krobo area, and challenged them to be more proactive and live up to their tasks and responsibilities as duty bearers.

"Kloma Hengme is happy that today our people in Djerkiti have portable water for consumption. We are urging all our leaders in the Krobo area both political and traditional to double up their efforts to address the many problems and challenges that are millitating against our Krobo development. We encourage them to sit up now and live up to their tasks as duty bearers''.

''We will also take this opportunity to commend the Presidency for their swift response in coming to the aid of the people of Djerkiti to repair their bore-hole for them. We urge the Presidency to also attach the same urgency in constructing the CHPS compound for the people of Djerkiti as they have promised to bring rural health care to the door steps of the people'', he added.