By Rosemary Wayo
Nakpanduri (NE/R), Sept 06, GNA – The Assemblies of God Health Centre at Nakpanduri in the North East Region has been provided with a mechanised water supply system to solve its 71 years of perennial water shortage.
The mechanised water system is solar powered fitted with a storage tank and a fetching point to enable constant flow of clean water at the health centre.
It is a $40,000 project, which was constructed by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), an international non-governmental organisation, with funding from Water Access Now (WAN).
The Assemblies of God Health Centre, prior to the construction of the mechanised water system, depended on rain for water to render its services since its establishment in 1952.
The CRS has also provided four boreholes, fitted with hand pumps at vantage points to serve about 5,000 of the population of Nakpanduri.
Dr Shannon Senefeld, Senior Vice President for Overseas Operations at CRS, speaking at a ceremony at Nakpanduri to inaugurate the water project for the health centre and the area, said in response to the call for investment in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), the CRS had invested over $20 million in the implementation of WASH interventions.
She said such interventions had reached over 200,000 people in Ghana with improved WASH services since 2012.
She appealed to the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri District Assembly, Ghana Health Service, traditional authorities, the Water and Sanitation Management Team (WSMT) and the Nakpanduri community to institute mechanisms such as paying for water services for the regular maintenance of the facility to ensure proper operation and management of the water system.
Mr Abednego Azumah Bandim, Member of Parliament for the Bunkpurugu Constituency, expressed appreciation to CRS for the prompt intervention to address the water crisis in the area.
He said, “I sought help from the CRS when my attention was drawn to water issues at the health centre”, adding funds from the MP’s Common Fund could not solve all problems in the constituency, hence the need to lobby.
Nakpanduri Naba David Kansuk Na Golbu, Paramount Chief of the Nakpanduri Traditional Area, said watching women walk long distances to fetch water was a worry.
He added that it was gratifying for the community to have access to safe water, and further appealed for a borehole to serve the palace.
GNA