Water extended to three communities in Tamale

WATERAID, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working in the water and sanitation sector, has extended pipe-borne water to three deprived communities in the Tamale, metropolis.

They are Nyohini South-West, Nyohini South-East and Dungu.

For several years, many households in these communities had no access to potable water although situated in an urban area.

In Nyohini South-East, for instance, the residents relied on a dam in the area, which also serves animals in the area.

“We use the water to cook, bath and wash our clothes,” said Mma Sanatu Abdulai, a resident of the area.

She said a few well-to-do people in the area were able to connect pipelines to their homes and so the rest of the community goes to fetch the water from these houses at a fee.

“We reserve the little pipe water we get for drinking,” she further stated.

Mma Sanatu and other women, children and men of the three communities were therefore excited when WaterAid decided to establish potable water facilities for their respective areas.

The facility, in each of the three communities, comprise an overhead tank and five stand pipes, estimated to cost over GH¢32, 000.

A Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Committee has been formed in each of these communities to oversee the management of the facilities and make accessible to all residents, although at an agreed fee.

The Chairman of the WATSAN committee for Nyohini South-East community, Mr Fuseini Adam assured the providers of the facility that the committee would work hand in hand with members of the community to maintain the facility.

“We would agree on a price for various containers so that the revenue generated would be used to maintain the facility and also pay water bills,” he said.

 The Programme Manager of WaterAid Ghana, Mr Sulaiman Issah-Bello told the Daily Graphic that the facilities were constructed through its local partners, Intagrad and Bido.

He said the provision of potable water facilities in deprived communities formed part of a five-year project being implemented with funding from HSB Corporation in the U.K.

The project, he explained, seeks to provide Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities to communities that are deprived of such facilities.

Mr Issah-Bello mentioned that a total amount of 107,718 was spent on the extension of pipe-borne water to the three Tamale communities.

He said in 2013, an amount of 128,968 would be committed towards providing pipe-borne water to four other communities in Tamale, namely Taha, Kulaa, Gbalahi and Nyanshei.

Mr Issah-Bello mentioned that the goal of WaterAid and its partners was to extend potable water to about 130,000 poor and marginalised people and also support over 90,000 people to have access to safe sanitation facilities.

The sanitation component of the project, he noted, involves providing latrines to schools and supporting communities to implement Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) initiatives.

(Published: Daily Graphic, April 30, 2013, page 17)