The Volta River Authority (VRA) has provided solar-powered mechanised boreholes for three communities along the Volta River basin in the Eastern and Volta Regions to end their water plight.
The water project is worth GH¢180,000 and falls under the authority’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to assist communities affected by operations of the authority.
The three beneficiary communities included Battor Korpe – Upper Manya district, Eastern Region; and Akplorti-South Tongu and Asikuma Dansokrom, both in the Volta Region.
Addressing chiefs, district officials and community members during the handing-over ceremony at Battor Korpe, the Head of CSR-VRA, Samuel Kwesi Fletcher, emphasised the importance of water as an essential requirement of everyday life and the authority’s commitment to ensure every community along the Volta basin without water benefits from one of such projects.
“All our three water projects are solar-powered and well mechanised to work efficiently for years to the community’s benefit. We at VRA always believe that we can do more because we know our communities are key to our operations.
Providing water to people means that one is trying to get sick people out of health facilities and solve basic societal problems, because data show that 50 percent of sick people globally are suffering from water-related diseases. It is also a more sustainable way to ensure people do not get sick, and VRA believes that a healthy community is a productive community,” he said.
District Chief Executive (DCE) of Upper Manya Krobo district, Joseph Sam, commended the VRA for its unflinching support to the people of Upper Manya district over the past six decades; adding that this very water project is critical because the lives of children and women will be improved.
“The role of VRA in our district cannot be overemphasised, especially in the area of health with the provision of infrastructure and medical supplies – as well as education with the provision of classroom blocks, books and other learning materials.
“Today, we are delighted with your support for this water project at Battor Korpe because it was a challenge before the assembly for years and we have been trying to find a lasting solution to it, but limited funds have hampered our efforts,” he said.
He added that due to the serious water challenge in various communities of the district, about 30 percent of the assembly’s funds have been dedicated to providing 10 normal boreholes to its communities.
Chief of Asesewa, Nene Tetteh-Ku Gbadafi I, in his remarks emphasised that water is life; therefore, anyone who gives someone water has given life and for that matter must be appreciated, hence his applause for the VRA.
He charged the chief of Battor Korpe and his subordinates to take good care of the facility so it can be transferred from generation to generation, while also urging them to henceforth drink from the underground water and shun the river water they have been drinking over the years.
