Kundungu (U/W), May 6, GNA - The chiefs and people of the Wa East District have expressed concern about inadequate share of basic development projects to help improve their living conditions. The Kundungu Kuoru, Chief Bakuli Bakubie II, said the Wa East District, which was created about five years ago with its capital at Funsi, has been without any communication network, no electricity, no source of potable water and no senior high school as well as banking facility to qualify it as a district capital.

It equally has no district hospital while roads leading to the district capital are in deplorable conditions, making it difficult to transport patients referred to Wa from its health centre. Kuoru Bakubie said that had led to many pregnant women dying either on their way to the Wa Regional Hospital or shortly on arrival. Similarly, school children from the district who passed the Basic Education Certificate Examination had to attend senior high schools outside the district resulting in many of them dropping out of school because of some social challenges.

The Kundungu Kuoru raised these concerns when executives of the Sissala Union took journalists from the region to inspect roads leading to the district capital to ascertain the damage done to them by last year's floods.

He said last year's floods had washed away some portions of the roads and if nothing was done about them, the area would be cut from Wa when the rains set in.

Kuoro Bakuli said lack of basic development needs of the people had compelled workers to refuse posting to the district and those who were already working there were also being discouraged to stay. He appealed to the government to pay attention to the development needs of the people, saying "it is no fault of us to live in this part of the country and we need our share of the national cake now." He said even though the area was the food basket of the region, the neglect in development was too huge and urged government to address the development challenges of the district.

Mr. Albert Bawa Sulley, Vice President of the Sissala Union, said no meaningful development could take place if the Kulung and Ambalara rivers were not bridged.

At the time the journalists got to the Kulung River,no trucks could cross and it will be so until next year dry season when the road would be passable.

Mr. Sulley said many of the rivers and streams between Yala and Kulung are not bridged while a bailey bridge on the Gindau River which had its pillars broken during the floods might be washed away if there are floods this year.

He said rehabilitation work on two damaged portions near Jumo had been slow and it is also feared that the contractor would not be able to complete work on them before the rains set in. At Funsi, an opinion leader, Mr. James Dumah, told the journalists that the Kulung and Ambalara rivers had divided the district, compelling assembly members from the Chakali and Wa area to travel 200 kilometres through Wa to Funsi instead of 60 kilometres to the capital to attend assembly meetings. Another portion on the Wahabu/Funsi road had been in a deplorable condition since last year and that would prevent lorries from reaching Funsi during the rainy season. Mr. Dumah said the priority of the people was to see bridges built on the Kulung and Ambalara rivers to make the area accessible all year round and to link it to the Upper East and Northern regions. Mr. Dumah said many of the decentralised department heads in the district were operating from Wa because of lack of electricity, potable water and residential accommodation. "The departmental heads are seen on Monday morning and by Tuesday evening they are on their way back to Wa, thereby denying the people information and services", he said. 06 May 09