Oboadaka is one of the communities in the Akuapim South District of the Eastern Region lacking access to clean and safe drinking water.
The Chief and the Assembly Member for the area revealed that water from most of the boreholes drilled in the area contain iron which is negatively affecting their quality of life.
“In this community we have close to 8 borehole drills which most of them contain so much iron and until now, the only water which promises hope is the one I’m standing before. …water is a human need in our day-to-day affair, but for the people of Oboadaka I will say, it’s a privilege” – Assembly Member for the Oboadaka Electoral Area, Lord Kwaku Akufo said when he addressed the media after the German Development Cooperation and partners donated a mechanized borehole to the community as part of commemorating the 2024 world water day.
The initiative is among 24 newly installed mechanized boreholes in 24 districts in Eastern and Bono regions under the “covid-19: Comprehensive Pandemic Management for Employees, Families and Communities”, a project championed by Kasapreko, Blue Skies Products and the German Development Cooperation.
According to the partners, the mechanized boreholes will ensure reliable access to clean water for several communities within Nsawam Adoagyir, Manya Krobo, Techiman North, Nkoransa North, Tain, and Akuapem South districts to name a few. The boreholes have technology to efficiently extract water from underground sources and ensure a steady supply.
“Water is life and without water we cannot have a healthy population. If you do not have a healthy population, you do not have a productive population. Therefore, water is key for the health and the wellbeing of the Ghanaian and for the African and for the whole population of this world. …we are very happy to partner with the private sector _ to support Ghana in its development and today as we all have seen, the launching of the water project to ensure that such communities have access to clean and safe water.” – Team Lead, develoPPP Ghana, Dr. Holger Till.
In a recent publication, the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) revealed that one in every five Ghanaian does not have access to potable water, a situation that threatens the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6.
Marketing Manager for Kasapreko plc, Linda Aidoo, said “the issues of Ghana is a lot so we plead with government that while private companies are doing this, they also do more for communities to be able to have potable water.”
World Water Day is held annually on 22nd March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. The 2024 World Water Day is themed ‘Leveraging Water for Peace’.
By Job Laboja