By Bertha Badu-Agyei
Akuapem-Nsakyi (E/R) Nov. 01, GNA – Water in Africa Through Everyday Responsiveness (WATER), a non-governmental organisation, in collaboration with the Spanish NGO ANESVAD, has provided a mechanised water system capable of pumping 60 litres per minute, to the people of Nsakyi.
The facility, which comprises two boreholes and three water storage tanks each with a capacity of 8,000 litres, aims to enhance water sanitation and hygiene in the area.
The initiative is part of efforts by the two NGOs to eradicate skin-neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in the Akuapem North and South municipalities.
Certain communities have already received WASH facilities, including ceramic water filters for households that depend on boreholes and streams for safe drinking water.
Additionally, schools and vantage areas in the communities now have handwashing stations.
Dr Agana Nsiire, a representative of ANESVAD emphasised the importance of the boreholes in providing potable water for the people, as the tool to reduce the infection rate of diseases which were mostly acquired through contaminated water.
He said the facility would serve as the main source of potable water for the people who relied on streams for their water needs and urged the community to own the facility and maintain it well for their benefit.
Dr Nsiire said once the Water and Sanitation Committees had been trained to manage the water systems, he was optimistic that the facility would be well managed.
Nana Yaw Nyarko, the Mankrado (sub-chief) of Nsakyi, noted that the only stream the community relied on for their water needs had been heavily polluted by chemicals due to farming activities which was occupation of the people in the area.
He therefore expressed gratitude to WATER and ANESVAD for keeping their word of providing them with potable water as part of the Skin-NTDs Elimination and promised to take care of the facility to stand the test of time.
Akuapem North and South are among districts in the Eastern Region with communities that are endemic in Skin-NTDS such as Buruli Ulcer, Leprosy and Yaws, as 35 communities in Akuapem North recorded several cases of Leprosy, Yaws and Buruli Ulcers between 2018 and 2022.
GNA