Efforts by GWCL to solve water problem

Pg 23. Sat. March 15/08

Story: Rebecca Quaicoe Duho

AS part of its efforts to resolve the water shortage in Accra, the management of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) on Friday inspected three boreholes at Tantra Hill which were constructed to increase water supply in that area.
The boreholes are part of 13 mechanised boreholes to be drilled as the company’s short-term measure aimed at increasing water supply in and around the city.
The three sites have been scheduled to be completed in a month’s time and will produce approximately 1,300 litres of water per minute to people within Tantra Hill, Taifa and parts of Dome and Ofankor.
Other areas that are to benefit from the borehole projects are Ashongman and Pokuase, which will have four sites each, and Aburi which will have two sites.
Since the latter part of last year, Accra has been hit by water a shortage, a situation which gets worse by the day. Many people made up of the young and old are seen carrying receptacles of all kinds in search of water.
The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Boniface Abubakar Saddique, at a Meet-the-Press last week said work on six of the boreholes at Tantra Hill, Dome and Ashongman would be completed in two weeks, adding that when completed, water supply to those areas would be considerably improved.
When the GWCL team visited the Tantra Hill sites, it was discovered that the boreholes which were drilled some two years ago and were awaiting the installation of pumps to connect them to a central reservoir had water gushing out because people living around had illegally drilled holes into the PVCs through which they tapped water.
The Drilling Engineer at the site, Mr Alhassan Balo, said the boreholes, which were 40 meters deep, would finally be completed within a month.
He mentioned the supply of electricity as a factor that was hindering the smooth execution of the project.
The Deputy Managing Director of GWCL, Mr Kweku Botwe, who also briefed the media present, said the work, which was multi-sectoral, could not be completed if all the sectors did not play their part.
He confirmed the possible completion of the project within a month, saying that the Electricity Company had shipped in transformers that were going to be installed at the various sites.
He said the company’s resort to the use of mechanised borehole should not be a source of worry to the public as, according to him, most developed countries including the United States of America drew most of their water supply from boreholes, adding that they were cheaper and safe for consumption.
The team also visted the McCarthy Hill Booster station and the two sites at Aburi.