Wa, July 7, GNA - Work on the provision of pipe-borne water facilities to eight small towns in the Upper West Region at a total cost of about 27 billion cedis has began in the beneficiary communities. The communities are, Tumu, Sakai, Gwollu, Lawra, Nandom, Jirapa, Nadowli and Daffiama.

Mrs Blandina Betty Batiir, Regional Director of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Wa that, the money for the execution of the projects was part of a 26 million dollar World Bank credit for the Small Town Water and Sanitation Project.

Mrs Batiir said out of the initial 15 small towns selected for the project in the region, seven of them either recorded very low water yields after feasibility studies or failed to meet the five per cent community contribution that was one of the major conditions enshrined in the project.

These towns had therefore, been left out in the first phase and would be brought on board in the subsequent phases, when all the conditions were met, she said.

Government had however, decided that HIPC Funds should be used to pay for communities, who were unable to pay their contributions for the projects but the response to that directive from the district assemblies had been very slow, Mrs. Batiir said.

Four of the towns in this category are, Kaleo in the Nadowli District, which recorded low water yield, while Busa and Charia in the Wa Municipality and Funsi in the Wa East District could not meet their five per cent contributions.