Gov't to house Keta Sea Defence Project Victims

The government, with support from the HIPC fund, is financing the construction of 836 houses of various types for 10,000 people whose houses were destroyed by the execution of the Keta Sea Defence Project under a phased-out programme.

Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang disclosed this in Parliament and said that as at last Friday (July 21), 185 houses had been constructed and distributed to three communities of Kedzi, Vodza and Adzido.

The Minister was responding to a question which stood in the name of Mr Dan Abodakpi (NDC-Keta).

The member, whose question was asked on his behalf by Clement Humado (NDC-Anlo), wanted to know the extent to which the minister has fulfilled his promise of completing the housing scheme for the communities.

He made the promise during a visit to the Keta district last year.

The Minister said100 houses were completed under phase one of the project in 2003 with an additional 344 houses at various stages of completion for the three communities under the second phase.

Mr. Owusu-Agyemang said 7 billion cedis had been released to the contractors to execute the project.

The government had decided on humanitarian grounds, to construct the houses following the inability of the people to construct the houses themselves in spite of a total amount of 105 billion cedis given to them as compensation, he said.

Mr. Owusu-Agyemang emphasized that the houses are for those who lost their buildings during the execution of the project and not those whose houses were destroyed by the sea before the commencement of the project.

In an answer to another question, Mr. Owusu Agyemang said the Kwanyaku water treatment plant in the Central Region was being expanded with the construction of an additional plant to treat 4,620,000 gallons of water a day to meet the water supply demand of the area.

The question stood in the name of John Agyabeng (NPP-Agona East) whose concern was whether the rehabilitation work would include extension of potable water to the numerous settlement areas that are not linked to the Kwanyaku Water System.

The Minister said the Kwanyaku Water System serves five districts, namely, Awutu-Effutu-Senya, Agona, Gomoa, Mfantsiman, Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam all in the Central Region.

He also mentioned Swedru, Senya Bereku, Bawjiase and Agona Nyakrom as some of the towns served by the system.

He said the Dutch government was supporting Ghana with four million Euros to cater for smaller towns in the catchment area which were not catered for in the original project design.

He said work was progressing steadily and was about 65 per cent complete.

Mr. Owusu-Agyemang said some minor existing distribution and transmission pipelines would be rehabilitated to restore water supply to areas such as Bontrase, Kuntanase, and Nkoransa whose water supply had been interrupted as a result of road construction.

In yet another answer, Mr. Owusu-Agyemang said a proposal had been made for the rehabilitation of the old Kpong treatment plant with the complete replacement with electro-mechanical equipment and to extend the distribution network at an estimated cost of 98 million dollars.

He said the project was expected to address the perennial water problem in Somanya in the Eastern Region.

Mr. Raymond Tawiah (NDC-Yilo Krobo) had asked the minister when the perennial water problem in the Somanya town would be solved.

Mr. Owusu-Agyemang said, the Ministry had proposed to drill and mechanise two boreholes by September to supplement the water supply to the town from the Kpong hardworks.