Bolgatanga, Oct. 23, GNA - The Bolgatanga Municipality is facing a problem of disposal of solid and liquid waste, Mr Epsona Ayamga, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) said on Friday. He explained that the 27 septic tanks, six KVIP and four Public Water Closets were not enough for the 73,808 people the facilities served.

Briefing the media at a 'meet the press' series in Bolgatanga, the MCE said the assembly had instituted policies that compelled every Land Lord to ensure that toilet facilities and good drainage systems were provided in their homes.

Mr Ayamga said due to the poor manner in which people built, water ways got obstructed during heavy rains causing a lot of drainage problems.

He said the Assembly and Zoomlion were providing dustbins at residences, lorry parks and on the streets but there was still a huge refuse dumped in the municipality that required high cost and effort to evacuate.

Mr Ayamga said the Assembly was rehabilitating the Vea Dam that supplied water to the area as well as water pumps to extend the distribution of water to places that had no running water. He said 47 boreholes had been drilled with the assistance of two non governmental organizations, Rural Aid Ghana and Technoserve, to supply water for some communities while the Ahmadiya Muslim Mission rehabilitated three.

He said 25 solid waste containers had been manufactured whilst 10 seater water closets were constructed to address the sanitation problems adding that 80 household KVIPs had been completed in Sumbrungu, a community near Bolgatanga. MORE

Speaking on education, Mr Ayamga said the high rate of teachers leaving for greener pastures and those leaving to upgrade their studies rendered most schools understaffed with a current pupil-teacher ratio of 28 to one for private and 56 to one for public schools.

He said the government and assembly had embarked on a programme to eliminate schools under trees and the shift system by constructing 11 three-unit-classroom blocks, four six-unit-classroom blocks and manufacturing 390 dual desks for over 16 schools.

He added that the School Feeding Programme that benefited two schools was now catering for 12 schools and was serving 3,458 pupils whilst free exercise books and uniforms had been distributed to schools throughout the municipality.

Mr Awamga said 376 males and 56 females were supported under the Food and Agriculture Organisation dry season pump irrigation under the Youth in Agriculture Programme, 5,756 young farmers benefited from a fertilizer subsidy programme and 60 of them benefited from a livestock package.

He said 1,453 youth had benefited under various modules in the National Youth Employment Programme and were serving as Community Teaching Assistants, Health workers and as workers for the Greening Ghana Project. Mr Ayamga said farm implements such as donkey and carts, agro processing machines and a set of shea-butter extraction machines had been procured for four income generating activities groups by the National Board for Small Scale Industries. He urged citizens of the area as well as well wishers of the region to take keen interest in the area and participate fully as the region was preparing to celebrate its 50th Anniversary. 23 Oct. 10