WATER CRISIS TO HIT TAMALE IN THREE YEARS TIME

The Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has vehemently rubbished and described as “shoddy work” the Tamale Water Rehabilitation and Expansion Project that was executed by past New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration to arrest the protracted water crisis in Tamale.

According to the Minister, residents of Tamale and its surrounding communities would face serious water crisis in 2013, if measures were not taken by the current government to correct the shoddy work and thus carry out another expansion works on the Tamale Water System.

The 45 million Euro project, which was awarded to Messrs Bi-Water BV, a Dutch based International firm between 2006 and 2008 was to increase water supply in the Tamale Metropolis from 4.4 million gallons a day to 10 million gallons. The Minister was particularly worried about quality of material and how they were installed and as a result of poor monitoring and supervision, there are currently some visible signs of deterioration.

Addressing some key stakeholders in the water sector in Tamale, Mr. Bagbin asserted that some of the huge pipes were supposed to be 2 feet beneath the ground, but in most of the areas that trenches were dug, they were not even up to one foot, thereby exposing most of the pipes.

He therefore announced that in the efforts to ensure quality work done by the government of National Democratic Congress (NDC), his Ministry had had plans to blacklist donors who executed shoddy works, at the expense of the Ghanaian tax payer but were paid huge sums of monies.

“In my mind I have already blacklisted some of those companies and will make sure anybody involved in those contracts are seriously taken on. I am saying this openly because it is the truth and I can assure that those who awarded those contracts and made the payments will also be taken on including those who did the monitoring,” he raised the alarm.

It would be recalled that the Tamale Water System was established in somewhere 1972 but subsequent breakdowns in most of the machines, saw the entire resident of the area suffering severe water crisis.

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) therefore resorted to rationing of the water especially between 1996 and 2007, but most of the communities including Kobilmago, Kukuo, Nyohini, Datoyili, SSNIT and Russian Bungalows could not still access water sometimes for three or five months.

However, the Tamale Water Expansion Project which started in 2006 and completed in 2008 was aimed at supply 24 hour water to the people, but it also came with its own problems, as certain communities in the Metropolis are still faced with some water problem or shortages.

The problems, according GWCL officials are as a result of some frequent breakdowns in some of the machines at the water station.

Meanwhile, in view of the looming water crisis that is predicted to hit Ghana and some other African countries in 2030, government of Ghana according to Mr. Bagbin was currently rolling out comprehensive water project to significantly expand and upgrade all water infrastructures beginning from 2011.

He indicated that the issue of potable water accessibility in Ghana was nothing to write home about especially in the three Northern Regions, where about 58.97% of the rural communities have access to potable water.

He noted that, the government required over 89.1 million dollars to carry out rehabilitation and capacity expansion of 37,500 cubic meters to arrest the looming water crisis by 2025. The Minister said that his Ministry was in negotiation with the various funding bodies including Hapoalim Bank of Isreal, Hidrobiente Group, African Development Bank and two other Chinese Companies to provide funding for the projects.

Similar projects would be carried in Yendi and Damango to supply water to the people at the estimated cost of 28 million dollars and 15 million dollars respectively.

The Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing Mr. Bagbin hinted would from next year construct over 20,000 boreholes in 50 districts across Ghana of which 14 districts in Northern Region would be beneficiaries.

PREZ MILLS TO GO INTO FARMING NEXT YEAR

Credible information reaching Savannahnews has revealed the unprecedented attempt by Ghana’s sitting president, John Evans Atta Mills to go into a large scale farming in the Northern Region aims at disabusing the minds of most Ghanaians especially the youth, who think farming is a reserve for only the rural poor.

President Mills has at the moment acquired over 12,000 acres of land at Namburugu, a rice producing community in the Karaga District of Northern Region to cultivate rice and maize for local consumption and export.

Savannahnews has gathered that the project which would begin in somewhere March 2011 would offer job opportunities to a large number of idle youth in the Karaga and its surrounding districts.

The Atta Mills’ Agric Estate locally named “Baymoni” would have residential accommodation for some core labourers, tractors and combine harvester repairing centre, a storage facility and rice processing machines.

It was gathered that the Chief of Karaga, Naa Mahama Adam released the 12,000 acres of land free of charge for a maximum use of between 25 and 30 years, after realizing the good vision of President Mills.

Speaking to Savannahnews in an interview, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Karaga, Issah Sulemana Hussein confirmed the report and expressed the appreciation of the Chiefs and people in the district to the President for the nice vision.

According to him, President Mills’ farm project was not only to create jobs but to complement Ghana’s vision of becoming one of the leading rice producing countries in the world.

He said President Mills did not use his position to acquire the 12,000 acre land from the Karaga chief but it was giving willingly by the Chief and his cabinet who in a large extent shared the good vision of Mr. Mills.

The DCE disclosed that President Mills had since sent two delegations to the Chief to formalize the acquisition process and also ascertain whether the Chief’s decision to offer the land free of charge had not changed.

But the good news Hon Hussein hinted was that the Chief was even demanding the President to commence work before the scheduled period (March 2011).

He indicated that the search for fertile land for rice cultivation by the President started in 2009, upon assumption of office but Karaga District was settled on due to its viability in rice cultivation.

Between 1970 and 1980s, the 12,000 acre rice field was being used by the State owned Nasia Rice Company, which is currently out of operation, due to neglect by successive governments.

However, the Minister for Trade and Industry, Hanna Tetteh in the middle this year 2010, visited the Nasia Rice Company and promised the ruling government’s readiness to revamp the company to process the rice produced from the ongoing Block Farm Project.

The Karaga DCE thanked President John Mills for choosing Karaga for the project with the expectation that it would reduce the high unemployment among the youth in the district.

Hon Hussein was also optimistic that the company would attract more investors to Karaga to improve the socio-economic fortunes of the people.

He therefore appealed to residents of Karaga to co-exist peacefully for government and its development partners to broaden the district’s economic growth.

Meanwhile, efforts to speak with the Karaga Chief, Naa Mahama Adam proved difficult since he was chairing a ceremony to mark this year’s World Aids Day but a source at his palace confirmed the release of the land to the President by the chief for use without any charges since it was going to benefit the local people.

CHIEFS & PEOPLE OF NANUMBA DISTRICTS DEMONSTRATE AGAINST GOVT

The incessant refusal by successive governments to pay attention to the extremely poor road networks in the Northern Region has stirred up the bad tempers of Chiefs and people in 12 deprived communities along the Yendi-Bimbilla road, who are desperately reminding government to walk its talk of ensuring a better Ghana for all.

The irate Chiefs and their people with support from some Community Based Organisations (CBOs) including the Ghana Development Community Association (GDCA) have therefore embarked on massive demonstrations to back their demand for the immediate construction of the Yendi-Bimbilla Road.

They complained that that particular road had been captured in almost every national budgets without any work commenced on it, but the 2011 budget recently read by the Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor according to the people did not mention the Yendi-Bimbilla road, which they said was a ploy by government to deprive them of their share of the better Ghana cake.

However, the protestors including the Chiefs wielded sockets of tree leaves and placards displaying board inscriptions like “No road- No vote”, our food stuffs are rotten in the bush”, 2011 budget is incomplete and where is the better Ghana”, among others.

The Spokesperson of the Chiefs and people, Seidu Shaini Mohammed in a petition presented to the Nanumba North District Assembly for onward transmission to the President maintained that the nature of the Yendi-Bimbilla road had brought serious socio-economic setback to the people.

According to the protestors, there had been several cases of sadden deaths among pregnant women who were unduly delayed on their way to the health centres as a result of the poor nature of the roads.

They asserted that some women in labour had died on bicycles and motorbikes because vehicles were not ready to ply the road.

Several food items including, yam, maize, rice and soya bean have also locked up in the bush due to the poor nature of road in the Nanumba Districts.

Meanwhile, the Yendi-Bimbilla road which is classified as an international road connects travelers from the Northern Region to Greater Accra, Volta Region, Togo and Burkina Faso.

The aggrieved Chiefs and people are therefore demanding the ruling government to commence and complete the construction of the road before the 2012 general elections or risks loosing their votes.

BLOCK FARMING PROJECT IN KARAGA DISTRICT IN JEOPARDY

Farmers in the Karaga District of the Northern Region who are engaged in the ongoing government’s Block Farm Project aimed at producing rice, maize and soya bean are likely to work in vain, as an estimated 2000 acres of rice plantations they have cultivated this year are being wasted on the fields due to lack of combine harvesters in the area.

According to the farmers, their rice plantations were ready for harvesting but they were finding it highly difficult to access combine harvester services. The Karaga district they noted had only one small combine harvester which was capable of harvesting a minimum of five acres daily.

Meanwhile, some of the farmers have cultivated between 300 and 700 acres of rice and maize, but the produce are being destroyed by cattle and birds.

The disappointed farmers made this known when the new District Chief Executive (DCE) for Karaga, Sulemana Hussein Issah toured the Block Farm Project sites at Sadugu and interacted with the farmers.

It was discovered that some of the farmers have now engaged the services of hired labour to do the harvesting with sickles, which they said was much expensive and time consuming.

One of the farmers, Mahama Ayamba, Chief Executive Officer of Dolba Farmers Group expressed fear that a large quantity of the rice could go wasted in view of the fact that he hired labour to harvest his 110 acres plantation.

Mr. Mahama Ayamba also complained about the road network leading to their plantations which he said had contributed to their post harvest loses in the previous years.

He therefore appealed to government to support farmers in the area with combine harvesters and tractors to enable them meet their objective of producing enough rice for domestic and export purposes.

The District Chief Executive, Hon. Sulemana Hussein Issah said government was aware of the difficulties they had been battling with and assured them of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s move to find rapid solutions to their problems.

The Karaga DCE however emphasized the need for the farmers to invest in their children’s education.