General News of Sunday, 25 April 2010

Source: GNA

GWCL to pull structures on water ways

Barekese (Ash), April 25, GNA - Mr Kweku Botwe, the acting Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited, has said that the company would have no alternative in future than to pull down buildings on pipe tracks for the good of all Ghanaians.

He said the company was facing serious problems of encroachment on its lands designed for plant treatment noting that there were un-authorized structures on huge pipelines with all forms of human activities that affect water bodies.

Mr Botwe made the remarks when he paid a surprise working visit to the Kumasi East and West District offices and the Barekese head works in the Atwima-Nwabiagya District last Friday.

The Managing Director accompanied by Mr Stevens Ndebugri, the Regional Distribution Engineer, Mr Francis Mensah, Human Resource Manager and Mr Festus Acquaye, Finance Manager, commended the workers for their team work. He said it was important that they also sensitized people of the dangers ahead if they continued to hamper the efforts the company was making to provide uninterrupted and quality water supply. Mr Botwe said, "Our efforts should bring all stakeholders, farmers, developers, planners and others together to recognize the importance of protecting the water resource. "Maximum efforts must be made to address the needs of the people, stressing that the rehabilitation at the head works and other booster stations has been very successful and is going to increase capacity" he said.

Mr Botwe said efforts were being made by management of the company to pay compensation to all farmers who were affected by the rehabilitation. He expressed concern about dumping of waste in water bodies and called on organizations and individuals concerned to put an end to that. Mr Botwe said "water is a big asset to the nation and there is therefore the need for our water bodies to be protected for the good of all of us". 25 April 10