Accra, Feb. 25, GNA - A Water purification system and a waste water treatment plant, with an initial cost of about GHc500, 000 was on Wednesday inaugurated at the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) to help solve the water-related problems facing the Centre andsurrounding communities.

The Centre, with a fairly large population needed a reliable source of potable water and an efficient wastewater disposal system but had a problem since water supply in the area was not reliable. Rear Admiral A.R.S Nuno, Acting Chief of Defence Staff said the Centre then decided to partner BioLand, a Ghanaian company that specialised in water treatment to help solve the problem. The project funded by the governments of the United Kingdom and Denmark would serve as a one-stop system of fresh water supply and the development of a wastewater treatment plant.

Explaining how the system works, Mr Seth Okla, Technical Director of BioLand Company said stored water is pumped though a filtration point where particles and sediments, odour and chlorine were removed. The water is then passed through a water softener for the removal of calcium, magnesium and iron and stored for distribution to various points within the Centre through an ultraviolet disinfection system. Mr Okla said the water purification was done with the help of a British Technology, Bacfree.

He said the wastewater treatment process also used a Danish technology, a combination which was achieved by the use of a technology called Exponet Bioblock filter system which re-circulates waste water. Mr Okla said the centre could use the treated waste water for flushing toilets, vehicle washing, watering the lawns and also used as a backup fire hydrants.

Mr Nicholas Westcott, British High Commissioner to Ghana, said water was a vital resource for the operation and survival of any community.

He said managing water had been a major challenge for the Centre and expressed hope that the purification system would help reduce waste resulting from the use of bottled water. Mr Westcott said the project was a step towards improving self-sufficiency and self-reliance and expressed the hope that the facility would help save cost and be extended to the whole community. Mr Jan Pirouz Poulsen, Deputy Danish Ambassador to Ghana, announced that a mini fair that showcases joint partnership between Danish and Ghanaian private companies would soon be held to encourage more of such partnerships.