Sekyere-Heman (W/R) Mar. 22, GNA- The construction of the new water treatment plant to tap water from the Pra river at Sekyere- Heman, in the western region to increase supply water to Cape Coast and it environs is about 75 percent complete.

The project, began last year, is estimated to cost 38 million Euros and involves the construction of two clarifies, a reservoir and a booster station, laying of 60 kilometres of pipelines of various diameters, and the extension of power distribution network.

Mr Paul Breukers, project engineer, made this known on Thursday, when he took staff of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), students of the Ghana National College and Edinaman Secondary School and newsmen round the project to mark the celebration of World Water Day under the theme; 93coping with water scarcity", in the Central Region.

Mr Breukers said the treatment plant is designed to produce 6,600 million gallons of treated water a day, with communities, including Komenda, Kissi, Abrem-Agona, Ayensudu, Ataabadze, Elmina and Cape Coast as the beneficiaries.

He said work was expected to be completed by November this year and expressed the hope that it would go a long way to end the perennial water shortage in Cape Coast and its environs.

Mr Emmanuel Kwaku Appiah, the Regional Engineer of the GWCL for his part, commended the Ballast Nedam B.V, a Dutch company, for the work done so far and urged them to complete it on schedule. He gave the assurance that the level of water in the Brimsu dam, was about 17 feet, and that he does not envisage any water shortage in the Cape Coast municipality this year.

He however, urged the public to use treated water judiciously, and avoid using it for the washing of cars and watering flowers and repeated calls on the public to protect and preserve sources of water and water bodies, and to desist from farming along such bodies, to help reduce water problems in the region.

He also commended the government for putting in a place a multi-sectoral approach in solving the water problem in the Central Region, adding that if the Sekyere-Heman and Baifikrom treatment plants are completed in addition to the Kwanyaku and Winneba plants, the perennial water problems in the region 93would be a thing of the past". 22 MarCH 07