Eremon SHS Gets Solar-powered Water Facility

A solar-powered mechanised water facility has been inaugurated for the Eremon Senior High School (SHS) at Nanyaari in the Lawra District in the Upper West Region.

The GH¢100,000 facility, constructed under the auspices of the Global Water Initiative (GWI), will also serve two nearby communities, Nanyaari and Gbengben.

The project was funded by the Howard Buffet Foundation of the United States through the collaborative efforts of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Care International and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with Pronet North, a local non-governmental organisation, as the lead implementer.

In an address, the Head of Programmes of the CRS, Mr Kris Ozah, said the GWI was committed to partnering other agencies to initiate projects aimed at alleviating the plight of the rural poor and the underprivileged.

He said the GWI had been working in the Lawra District since 2008, addressing issues of improved water and sanitation and environmental management.

“In collaboration with the district assembly, the GWI has been able to facilitate the construction of 19 boreholes, with two of them being mechanised,” he said.

“We are particularly grateful to the chief and people of Nanyaari for allowing their borehole to be mechanised for the use of others such as the people of Gbengben and the Eremon SHS,” he added.

The Lawra District Chief Executive, Mr Sampson Abu, was happy that the GWI, in collaboration with Care International and Pronet, had supported the district in many development interventions, particularly the provision of potable water.

He said in 2011 the government drilled and constructed nine boreholes in the district, with seven of them fitted with solar pumps and panels.

In addition to that, 10 more boreholes were expected to be drilled this year to further enhance access to quality drinking water in the district.

He urged the seven–member water board committee to remain committed and ensure the efficient management of the facility for the benefit of the communities within its catchment area.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Member of Parliament for Lawra-Nandom, Mr Ambrose Dery, gave an assurance that he was prepared to assist in the maintenance of the facility in the future.

For his part, the Chief of Nanyaari, Naa John Sieni Nizuka, thanked the sponsors for the facility and gave an assurance that the people would make maximum use of the facility.