Regional News of Monday, 26 July 2004

Source: GNA

Amansie East sinks 235 boreholes

Mmorontuo (Ash), July 26, GNA - The Amansie East District Assembly has since 2001 sunk 235 boreholes at a total cost of 11.8 billion cedis for a number of communities in the area, under the Community Water and Sanitation Project.

Mr Sarfo Kantanka, Deputy District Co-ordinating Director, who announced this, said 180 of the facilities had been completed while the rest were yet to be fixed with pumps.

He was speaking at the inauguration of a 60 million-cedi borehole constructed by the Haworth Road Methodist Church in Bradford, UK, for the people of Mmorontuo in the district at the weekend. Mr Kantanka commended the Church for constructing the borehole and appealed to other religious bodies to contribute to the development of the people.

He urged the Unit Committee of the town to ensure that the borehole was maintained so that it could last long.

Mr Kantanka said the assembly had also sunk 10 boreholes at a cost of 495 million cedis under the Village Infrastructure Project, adding that by the time the pumps were fitted on the facilities, the assembly might have spent 555 million cedis on the project.

The Right Reverend Nuh Ben Abubekr, Methodist Bishop of Kumasi, who made a personal donation of 500,000 cedis towards the maintenance of the borehole at Mmorontuo, suggested that a committee should be formed to ensure the maintenance of the borehole.

Mrs Anita Day, a representative of the Church from UK, said the religious body raised funds for the sinking of the borehole. She thanked Rt Rev Daniel Yinkah-Sarfo, Anglican Bishop of Kumasi and Mr Johnny Odan, the Ghana Water Company District Manager for the North West, Kumasi, for ensuring the early completion of the project. She also commended the District Assembly for constructing three additional boreholes for the community.

Rev Dr Ofori-Attah of the Methodist Church said it had donated three trophies and cash to two primary schools and a junior secondary school in the area to be awarded to the best student of the final year classes of those educational institutions.