The Bongo District Assembly on Thursday inaugurated its Water and Sanitation Management Team to help in the management of the Small Town Water Supply Systems.

The District has high fluoride content in its water content. Thirty five of boreholes that had been sunk in the area had been capped and cannot be used as a result of the problem, compelling women and children to travel far distances in search of water in streams and rivers.

Briefing the stakeholders at the ceremony about some of the challenges confronting the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector in the District, the District Officer in charge of WASH, Simon Alebga, mentioned the fluoride water content, constant breakdown of WASH facilities and lack of qualified mechanics to repair them.

He said out of the three wells that are pumping water to supply the small town water system, two of them had broke down, hence making it difficult to supply water to many of the communities.

“Out of the many basic schools in the area only five schools are having hand washing facilities. How do we then inculcate the good habit of hand washing into the majority of children in this area?” he queried.

He mentioned the absence of toilet facilities in many communities in the area as another major challenge, although the area has been declared Open Defecation Free.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr Alexis Ayamdor who lauded the efforts of the European Union for funding the Small Town Water systems and Water Aid Ghana and its partners for their continued support.

The DCE urged the Water and Sanitation Management Team to work hard to achieve good results.

He said as part of government’s efforts to help ease the water problem in the area, 20 boreholes are being constructed under the Sustainable Water and Sanitation project.

“The Assembly is also making special case to the Ghana Water Company Limited to ensure that we get our share of the cake. The Vea Dam and the treatment plant, which supply water to the entire Bolgatanga and its environs, are in our jurisdiction and it is very prudent for the company to ensure that we also get our share,” he said.

The DCE said as part of measures to help confront the challenge, the District Assembly had formed an NGO consortium to help contribute to tackling the problem and called on stakeholders particularly development partners to help address the issue.

The Country Representative of Water Aid Ghana, Dr Afia S. Zakiya, who pledged the continuous support of her outfit to the Assembly, said she is happy that the collaboration between the Assembly and her outfit in tackling WASH problems had begun yielding positive results.

She said under the Water Aid Ghana Country new strategy, her outfit is determined to deepen its partnership with the regional coordinating councils and the district assemblies to adopt a district wide approach to meet the vision of Water Aid Ghana of “everyone, everywhere having access to safe water, improved sanitation as well as practising good hygiene”.

She said Water Aid Ghana is implementing a project dubbed: “Empowering citizens and civil society organisations to improve the delivery, equity and sustainable WASH services in the Bongo, Gushegu and Accra Metropolitan Assemblies.”

The project is expected to strengthen citizens and civil society organisations to effectively demand and monitor the provision of equitable WASH services through evidence-based dialogue with local duty bearers,” she said,

She therefore urged the assemblies to ensure that more communities are engaged in dialogue with local authorities for social accountability and citizen participation in WASH governance.

Mr Yaw Asante Sarkodie, Head of Programmes of Water Aid Ghana, hinted that plans are underway to help the Bongo District to become WASH model for other districts to emulate, adding that would depend on the willingness and readiness of stakeholders to play their roles effectively to achieve the target.