Association express regret at govts attitude to water problem

Nawuni (N/R), Sept 11, GNA - The Concerned Citizens Association of Tamale (CCAT) has expressed regret at the manner the government is handling the rehabilitation of the Nawuni and Dalun water systems that supply water to the metropolis and its environs.

The association said despite assurances from government officials and the Ghana Water Company Ltd (GWCL) that the problem would be solved, the situation continues to persist.

The CCAT said this when they visited Nawuni Water Intake Station and the Dalun Treatment Station all in the Tolon/Kumbugu District on Saturday.

Members of the CCAT and some members of the Metropolitan Assembly were at the station to find out if the new pumping machines had arrived but they were told that the machines had been sent back to Kumasi for technical work to be carried out on them.

This infuriated most of the assembly members leading to heated arguments between them and some officials of the GWCL.

There is only one pumping machine at the Nawuni Intake Station and this cannot supply the required amount of water to the metropolis. The Tamale Metropolis needs not less than 12 million gallons of water a day but only 2.8 million gallons of water is supplied daily.

Mr Basharu Alhassan, the President of the association, said when the water situation in Tamale went to a crisis level last year, a government delegation inspected the water system and confirmed that the machines were obsolete and assured that the government had ordered new machines. He said information reaching the association indicated that the GWCL in Tamale had rather gone to the Western Region for their unserviceable machines that were abandoned.

Mr Alhassan said the worry of the association was whether the old machines brought from the Western Region were going to replace the new ones promised by the government.

He said the water problem in Tamale was an emergency and wondered what would happen to the people if the only existing pump breaks down. Mr Stephen Ndebugri and Mr Cletus Amoah, Regional Engineer and Administrative Officer of the GWCL, took turns to explain issues to the Concerned Citizens.

They said the installation of the centrifugal pumps from the Western Region was only a stopgap measure to maintain water supply whilst awaiting proposals for the refurbishment or replacement of the existing old vertical spindle pumps.

The two officials said in the long term there would be an extensive rehabilitation of the existing water supply facilities and capacity expansion to meet water demand for the Tamale Metropolis and its environs.

The GWCL is in discussion with Messers Biwater B.V on the execution of a new treatment plant to be financed by a Netherlands government concessionary loan facility.