Wulensi (N/R), Feb 04, GNA - The Nanumba South District Assembly had so far spent 15.8 million cedis in its efforts to solve the water problem facing the people of Wulensi, the district capital, without any significant results.

For a long time now, the residents have not had water forcing them to spend long hours in search of water at the expense of working hours. Mr Thomas Donkor Ogajah, the District Chief Executive who said this at the first ordinary session of the Assembly at Wulensi on Thursday, said the Water Board set up to address the water problem of the town had approached its work piecemeal instead of taking pains to identify the problem as a whole.

"By this approach, the moment one problem is solved another arises, rendering the expenditure not worthwhile," he said. The DCE therefore recommended that the Board be dissolved and a new one set up to manage the Wulensi Small Town Water system. Mr Ogajah announced that a three-man District Water and Sanitation Team had been formed to take up issues concerning water and sanitation facilities in the district.

Mr Ogajah said a Desk Office for the environment had also been formed to help address issues of environmental degradation, sanitation and the problem of bush burning.

He urged assembly members to take environmental issues seriously by mobilising their communities to protect the environment. Mr Ogajah said reports reaching him indicated that Fulani herdsmen were moving into the district and appealed to the chiefs, community leaders and assembly members to join hands to fight the menace of the herdsmen.

He said the assembly had instituted an award scheme to be competed for by communities that would protect their areas against bush fires. The DCE stressed the importance of peace in any development effort and commended the chiefs and people for maintaining peace in the district but warned however that those who attempted to beat the "war drums" would not be spared.

He said the security services were on a high alert to "pick up any trouble maker who would want to muddy the waters and send us back to the dark ages".

In another development, President John Agyegum Kufuor has donated 25 colour television sets and 5,000 exercise books to be distributed to junior secondary and primary schools in the District to enhance the President's Special Initiative on Distance Learning. The DCE presented the items on behalf of the President to Mr Iddrisu Mahama, Headmaster of Wulensi Secondary School, who said the television sets would help improve the performance of the students, especially in the areas of Mathematics and English. 04 Feb 06