Regional News of Friday, 23 March 2012

Source: GNA

Increase water supply to Keta in anticipation of increased business activity - MCE

Mr Sylvester Tornyeava, Keta Municipal Chief Executive, (MCE) has called for a scale-up of water supply to the Keta areas, in readiness for an influx of petro-chemical business related activities there.

He was speaking at a ceremony at Agordome Headworks in the Keta Municipal Area, to mark World Water Day in the Volta Region held under the auspices of the Ghana Urban Water Limited.

This year’s theme of the Day, which is marked every year across the world, under the direction of the United Nations, is “Water and Food Security”

Mr Tornyeava said investment activity in the area was certain to pick up by the beginning of next year, but regretted that Keta had been progressively underserved with potable water lately.

Oil prospecting has been going on in the Keta Basin for some-time now, with government officials alluding to commercial finds.

Mr Tornyeava advised farmers to desist from farming along the waters to prevent their contamination and pollution.

Mr Emmanuel Appiah, Chief Manager of the Ghana Urban Water Limited in the Volta Region said, some expansion works were in the offing but did not elaborate.

He said initially, the Pumping Station operated for eight hours a day to meet demand, but currently, it was unable to meet demands even though it pumped water throughout the day.

Mr Appiah said it was time serious thought was given to the recycling of water in the country.

Mr Vital Akpablie, Manager of the Agordome Headpumps who took some students from the Comboni Technical/Vocational School at Sogakope, Anlo Technical School and Keta Senior High School, on a guided tour of the Headworks, said, since its commissioning in 1999 no refurbishment had been done.

He said the pumping station which supplies water to as far as Kedzi, with a booster station at Anloga, needed total rehabilitation and upgrading.

Mr Philip Dwamena Boateng, Regional Production Manager of Ghana Urban Water said water production at the Agordorme Pumps was relatively cheaper because of much cleaner water at the intake.

He however warned against increased deposits of pollutants into the river as a result of human activity.

The Agordome Head-pumps, draws water from the lower course of the River Volta, with many inlets from the vast agrarian plains noted for vegetable cultivation.

Mr Theophilus T. Collins, Volta Regional Commercial Manager observed that, rising populations in the world would considerably push up demand for water in the coming years at a time when water sources were being threatened by human activity.

Togbe Akliku Ahoney Volta Regional Manager of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said, all water sources including underground water, risked being polluted.**