Wa, April 09, GNA - About 71,000 people in 15 communities of the Upper West Region are to benefit from a 35 billion-cedi small town pipe water and sanitation project within the next three years. Nadowli, Daffiama, Jirapa, Lawra, Nandom, Tumu, Gwollu and Sakai are the first batch of beneficiaries.

The project, which is the second phase of the Community Water and Sanitation Project Two, is being undertaken in six regions of the country with a 26 million-dollar credit from the International Development Association of the World Bank Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Western and Upper East are the other beneficiary regions.

Mr Ambrose Dery, the Upper West Regional Minister who launched the region's component of the project at Wa on Friday, said the presence of guinea worm, trachoma and other water related diseases in some parts of the region was a major challenge as far as rural water supply and sanitation were concerned.

He urged all stakeholders in the water and sanitation sub-sector in the region to identify ways of improving on existing strategies for their effective delivery.

''All private sector players in the programme should also demonstrate a sense of diligence and professionalism in the discharge of their duties.''

Mrs Belindina Batiir, the Regional Director of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, said out of 635 communities in the region which requested for 722 boreholes during the first phase of the project that ended in December last year, 598 were drilled and installed. Some 88 boreholes that could not be drilled before the end of 2004, comprising 62 and 26 in the Lawra and Sissala districts respectively, have been repackaged and would be executed this year.

Mrs Batiir said 70 boreholes were being drilled in 22 guinea worm endemic communities with funds from HIPC.