Prez Mahama Pleads With Ghanaians To Pay Water Bills �

PRRSIDENT JOHN Dramani Mahama has appealed to consumers to pay water tariffs to ensure constant supply by the Ghana Water Company. According to President Mahama, an ongoing World Bank facility of $5.8 million, that is being used to improve the supply of water to Wa and its environs will see an increase to the ground water supply system to about 700,000 gallons of water a day. �The World Bank Project should alleviate the water situation in Wa, until this project that we are currently working on comes on stream. The current project, financed by the Korean government, is going to supply 3.3 million gallons of water a day to Wa and surrounding communities�, he stated. The President said water will be �in far excess of the water demand of Wa, and so this project and the World Bank�s project are sufficient to meet Wa�s demand from now till 2025.� The President made this known in Jambusse in the Wa West district, as part of his working visit to the Upper West Region late Friday, when he cut the sod for work to begin on a water supply project for the people of Wa Municipality. The current water supply system provides a little over 300,000 gallons of water daily, instead of the two million gallons needed. Water production from the 18 bore-holes feeding the Wa Municipality now serves only 11.6 percent of the growing population and, therefore, the project would not only increase potable water supply, but would provide irrigation services that would enable farmers in the area to engage in dry-season farming. The main components of the projects would include bore-hole rehabilitation and drilling, transmission pipe-lines, distribution pipelines, new elevated water tanks, electrical works and provision of health and education facilities. President Mahama said the total eradication of guinea worm in the country was due to constant provision of potable water throughout the country. President Mahama said the Savanah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) was currently reviewing its activities to revisit the tree planting exercise and gave the assurance that as soon as that was resolved, Government would pay all the arrears. He promised to construct a bridge at Gakye to facilitate trade between Ghanaians around Bole in the Northern Region and their counterparts in Ivory Coast. He said Government was on track to delivering its campaign promises, but called for peace and unity among the people to facilitate the execution of development projects. The Paramount Chief of Dorimon Traditional Area, Naa Sohiwnininye Danaa Gore II, expressed gratitude to the President, that the project which had been on the drawing board for so many years, had been realized. He appealed to government to include an irrigation component that would engage the youth in dry-season farming rather than moving to the southern areas of the country for non-existent jobs. Naa Gore commended government for commencing work on the Wa-Dorimon road and appealed to the contractor to expedite action. He also appealed for one of the Community Day Senior High Schools the President promised during the 2012 electioneering to be built in the Wa West District. The Member of Parliament for Wa West, Hon. Joseph Yieleh Chireh appealed to the people to support the government to deliver on its promises by ensuring peace and unity in the area. Meanwhile, William N-lanjerborr Jalulah also reports from Bolgatanga that President John Dramani Mahama has described this year as the most difficult year any government in the country has ever faced. The President said the harsh economic conditions, the soaring prices of food and non-food items, tariffs on goods and services, the energy crisis, numerous strike actions on the labour front and the recent market fire outbreaks have made this year the most difficult year in the governance system of the country. Addressing a mini rally in Bolgatanga, the capital of the Upper East Region on Thursday, President Mahama stated that energy crisis, labour unrest and market fires were critical national issues that needed realistic approaches to resolving them, since their magnitude was overwhelming. President Mahama was in the region to thank the people for their support and votes in the 2012 general elections and also to inspect some completed and ongoing projects, including the much-talked about Bolgatanga-Bawku road. According to the President, in spite of the difficulties, he was not discouraged because he had taken a number of initiatives to revamp the economy. He said in the Upper East Region, he was aware that poor road network was a major challenge confronting the people, as well as the Regional Hospital and the Northern Star Tomato Factory at Pwalugu. Earlier, President Mahama presented 2,200 rlg laptops under the Better Ghana Agenda programme for onward distribution to second cycle institutions in the region. He also inaugurated the newly constructed administration block of Our Lady of Loudes Senior High School at Gaani, near Navrongo, where he pledged to provide a mechanized water system for the school. He disclosed that counterpart funding for rural electrification project had been paid and very soon, work would begin. He also inspected the proposed site for an Aerodrome at Sumbrungu. At the site, President Mahama said government would provide similar facility in the Eastern, Central and Volta regions to facilitate movement of people domestically by air. On agriculture, the President said government was coming up with a programme to desilt all irrigation dams and construct new ones to promote dry season farming. The President of the Upper East Regional House Chiefs, Naba Asigri Bewong, observed that corruption was eating deep into the fabric of the society. He described corruption as a social canker which Ghanaians should not leave to the government alone to solve, but all must come on board to assist. In the company of the President were former Majority Leader, Mr. Cletus Avoka, Executive Secretary to the President, Raymond Atugiba, Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mr. Mahama Ayariga, Deputy Interior Minister, James Agalga, Presidential Staffer, Mr. Clement Apaak, Acting CEO of National Petroleum Authority, Mr. Moses Asaga, Ghana�s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Baba Kamara and Mr. Donald Adabire.