Vea (UE), March 23, GNA - Teachers and Students in the Upper East Region on Thursday appealed to Government to desilt the Vea Irrigation Dam near Bolgatanga to facilitate the efficient supply of water for domestic use and for Irrigation farming.

They made the appeal when they were conducted round the water plant site at Vea by Management of the Ghana Water Company Ltd (GWCL) in the Region as part of events marking this year's World Water Day. The Vea Dam which supplies water to the Bolgatanga Municipaliy and its environs, has also been used for irrigation farming since its eastablishment in the 1970s but has since not been desilted. The Teachers and the Students also stressed the need to plant trees on the banks of the river to prevent evaporation and siltation of the dam.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview, after conducting the students round the water plant, Mr Clement Kuukaayeng, a Human Resource Officer at GWCL, entreated the general public to use water judiciously since it caused the Company a lot of money in the treatment of water.

He exhorted people, especially farmers who encroached on rivers or dams by farming very close to the cachment and also by using chemicals for fishing, to desist from such practices since they affected human life.

Mr. Kuukaayeng appealed to companies who produced water in sachets or containers for sale to endeavour to observe good hygiene practices in the course of their business. 23 March 07