Adentan Gets Water In December

Alhaji Collins Dauda

The minister gave the assurance in parliament yesterday when the Member of Parliament for Adentan, Emmanuel Nii Ashie-Moore asked the minister when the Kpong Water Expansion Works will come on stream to lessen the burden of the people of Adentan who had endured perennial water crisis over the years.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP who asked the question had difficulty in pronouncing the words 'perennial' and 'endured' sending the rest of the MPs into laughter.

Alhaji Collins Dauda, in his answer, said the Government of Ghana secured a concessional loan of $260 million from the Chinese Government and supported it with an additional amount of $13 million for the Kpong Water Expansion Project, which started in June, 2011 and would be completed in December, 2014.

According to the minister, the transmission pipeline which has been routed through Dodowa to Adentan is 90% complete while the water treatment plant, the booster station and the intake are nearing completion.

'Mr Speaker, I am glad to inform this honourable House that the people of Adentan and its environs will be receiving sufficient water through their taps by the end of 2014,' he said.

Meanwhile, the women caucus in parliament yesterday made a statement on the floor of parliament to mark breast cancer awareness month in Ghana.

Making the statement on behalf of the women caucus, the first deputy majority chief whip, who is the NDC MP for Savelugu, Hajia Mary Salifu Boforo, said 2,900 Ghanaian women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and half of them die from the disease.

'Mr speaker about 70% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in Ghana are in the advanced stages of the disease and as a nation we can avoid delayed diagnosis by teaching our young girls and women how to do basic cancer screening through public education on televisions and radio.'

She asked the government to speed up the process of formulating policy guidelines on breast cancer.

'Mr speaker, the disease affects the psychological, social and economic wellbeing of the patients, the patients' children, husbands and their entire family”

The Savelugu MP however commended President Mahama for showing interest in the eradication of the disease, adding that the president promised recently that a national registry on the disease will be established to ensure effective monitoring and treatment of the disease is highly commendable.

She also praised the president of the Breast Care International (Ghana), Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addai for her efforts in creating awareness on the disease and in the treatment of the disease.

The NDC MP for Ablekuma Central, Theophilus Tetteh Chaie, in a contribution, said the breasts are important part of the body and therefore the women should take good care of them.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Tano North, Freda Prempeh said the government should assist women in the rural areas to go for regular screening while the media must also help in mass education on the need for women, especially those in the rural areas to go for regular screening of their breasts.

'I believe men and for that matter husbands also have a big role to play in helping their wives and spouses to examine their breasts and to find out whether there are any 'foreign materials' in them,” she said.

 By Thomas Fosu Jnr