Tumu, (UW/R), May 23, GNA – Dr. Walanyo Kwadwo Siabi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) has engaged residents of Tumu on the proposed reconstruction of a water system for the Tumu township in the Sissala East Municipality.
“We want to interact and discuss with you the new design of the Tumu water system and your water problems, find a solution to them and present to you what we have been doing as a new design”, Dr. Siabi said.
Speaking at the meeting at Tumu, the CEO said the reconstruction of the water systems in the area was expected to take about two years to complete.
Dr. Siabi urged stakeholders and people of Tumu to have confidence in the Agency to provide them with a reliable water system having served the people for the past years, and appealed to them to be ready to pay for the service when completed.
The CEO observed that three new boreholes could guarantee enough water supply to the people of Tumu for the next 20 years based on a technical assessment conducted by a team of engineers.
“We have made provisions for industry and the expansion of schools and other social amenities. We have done the feasibility study and found enough underground water to last up to 2044.
“This engagement is to get the buy-in of all of you for us to have a common understanding. There will be fire hydrants for the fire service to serve the community in times of fire outbreak in the new plan”, he said.
He called on the municipal authorities, traditional leaders and landowners to avoid unnecessary litigation that might affect the smooth implementation of the project.
Sharing the new design in a presentation, Mr Joseph Tawiah Ayei, a Senior Hydrologist at the CSWA Headquarters, revealed that, the agency would leverage on the use of technology as the three new diameter boreholes will be mechanized with hybrid pumps through the use of solar to generate power to support the grid in case of power outages to ensure consistent supply.
“For the 2020 population census, Tumu and the Upper West Region have a growth rate of 1.8 per cent per year; our projection says everybody will use 100 liters of water per day, which is about 22 gallons per day per person according to our technical assessment.
“Therefore, with 13,000 people in Tumu, we projected by 2024, that will rise to about 14,000 people. In a 20-year projection of the population from 2024, we would have enough water to supply and expand to cover the next 20 years and take care of the outskirts of the Tumu township”, Mr Ayei explained.
He said the new system would construct two new 200-mite overhead tanks, whiles the current pipelines of 14kilometres would be increased to 28kilometres of HDP pipeline.
Mr Ayei added that bulk chambers would be developed and 20 new smart standpipes would be constructed to make water accessible to all of the population with the use of a token by the public to access the water.
Mr Fuseini Yakubu Batong, the Sissala East Municipal Chief Executive, indicated that Tumu had overgrown the existing water facility and thanked the CWSA for the intervention.
He urged the people to support the initiative towards improving the water situation in the municipality.
Mr Daniel Yoho, a former District Chief Executive of the then Sissala District, advocated the new water system to be extended to four miles to serve some undeveloped parts of the Tumu township.
Since the 1980s, the Tumu water system had been under the supervision of the CWSA until private management took over and there were problems.
However, from 2017 to date, when the CWSA took over its management, there had been stability in the supply of water to the residents.
GNA