By Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Accra, Dec.11, GNA – The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) and other state institutions have provided 29,785 boreholes fitted with handpumps to some rural communities and small towns across the country.
The 2021 Population and Housing Census says water coverage for rural communities and small towns based on access to potable water was estimated at 74.4 per cent.
Dr Worlanyo Kwadjo Siabi, the Chief Executive Officer for CWSA, speaking at the Minister’s press briefing in Accra on Sunday, said its Water and Sanitation (WASH) activities covered 17,441 out of 27,570 communities in the 16 regions.
It has provided 546 small towns pipe water systems and 1,215 limited mechanised bore holes.
The mandate of the CWSA, he said, was to facilitate the provision of safe water to rural communities and small towns as well as promote water related sanitation and hygiene practices.
On some projects implemented under the WASH sub-sector, Dr Siabi it had provided 21,776 household toilets and 568 institutional toilets in 224 basic schools while 947 communities had been declared open defecation free due to its interventions.
Under Sustainable Rural Water and Sanitation Project (SRWSP), he said a $45.7 million IDA/World Bank loan facility helped the Agency to provide 32,155 household latrines and 568 latrines for teachers from 2017 to 2020.
The CWSA, Dr Siabi said, was managing 177 pipe water systems in 150 districts across the 16 regions, noting that rehabilitation works on 125 of the water systems were undertaken before technical staff were deployed to manage them.
“The Community Water and Sanitation Agency is expecting a conversion into a public limited liability company by the end of 2023 to enable it to serve more communities,” he said.
He expressed commitment towards achieving its mandate and continue to partner its stakeholders to deliver on its planned medium-term programmes and projects.
Other water projects executed by the Agency included 28 small towns pipe and water systems in 11 regions and 248 boreholes drilled in Upper West Region while the Ghana Water Company had extended pipelines to more than 100 communities.
There was an 11.5 million euros five districts water system in the Volta Region, and three districts water systems at the cost of GHS 34 million in the Greater Accra Region.
Rehabilitation works are ongoing in Kweman-Damfa, while the GHS 13.4 million Adwira water project would be completed in December 2023.
GNA