Regional News of Friday, 11 July 2014

Source: Bruce Misbahu Bulmuo

Adum-Kwanwomahene commissions mechanized water system

The chief of Adum-Kwanwoma, near Kumasi, Nana Kofi Agyei IV, has commissioned a mechanized portable water system at the cost of Gh¢68,000 for the community.
The mechanized water system is expected to benefit about 1,600 citizens of Adum-Kwanwoma and its environs, who hitherto lacked any reliable source of water for drinking and other domestic uses.
The project was a collaboration between Nana Agyei IV and the Sahara Group of Companies. The former contributed Gh¢28,000, whiles the latter made an addition of Gh¢40,000.
The project was executed by Water in Africa Through Everyday Responsiveness (WATER), a company specialized in the prospecting of water sources in rural communities across the country and the drilling of boreholes and construction of mechanized water systems.
The Sahara Group and WATER have collaborated to provide portable sources of water to several communities in the Northern, Brong Ahafo and Ashanti Regions. It forms part of Sahara’s corporate social responsibility to eradicate guinea worm and other waterborne diseases.
At a durbar of chiefs and people of Adum-Kwanwoma to outdoor the facility and allow the residents access to portable water, Nana Kofi Agyei IV narrated how the community has in the past years struggle to find portable water and he believes their problems are now over.
He thanked officials of Sahara Group of Companies and WATER for providing financial, technical, and logistical support to make the project a reality.
“Diseases such as cholera and guinea worm would not plague our people again and we really thank our partners for the support and dedication they have shown to our course” he said.
He announced at the durbar that plans are underway to extend the mechanized water system to the only senior high school in the community to solve the water needs of teachers and students.
Nana Agyei IV who is also the Gyaasehene of the Adum traditional authority in Kumasi said he would continue to initiate programmes to make the life of his citizens better. He has made available a vast stretch of land for the construction of a university.
He called on the people of Adum-Kwanwoma to unit and live in peace and harmony to ensure development.
A seven member committee was inaugurated to administer the mechanized water system. They were urged by Nana Agyei IV to adopt a maintenance culture to ensure the sustainability of the project.
The Director of WATER, Mr. Jim Niquette, in an interview said his organization and the Sahara Group of Companies have drilled over 30 boreholes in communities across the country and they are also on course at constructing more mechanized water systems for communities that lack water.
He disclosed that the newly commissioned mechanized water system can pump up to about 120,000 gallons per hour into an overhead tank, from where residents can fetch the water.
He was full of joy for the project at Adum-Kwanwoma and he also encouraged the people to use the project well to ensure that it last longer.
Mr. Niquette also mentioned that his organization has also sponsored some people in communities near the mining town of Obausi to undergo cataract surgery to correct defects in their eyes.

Head of Corporate Communication at Sahara Group, Bethel Ubioma, first right takes a sip of the fresh water whiles Jim Niquette and Nana Agyei IV, (far left) with his elders of Adum-Kwanwoma look on


Nana Kofi Agyei IV with microphone to mouth commissioning the water system whiles Bethel Ubioma, (first left) Head of Corporate Communications at Sahara Group, and Jim Niquette of WATTER look on.