The Volta River Authority (VRA) in partnership with Project Maji Foundation, the water solution partners of the Authority,provided the facility at a cost of GH¢ 50,000.00.

At a ceremony to hand over the facility to the community, the Director in charge of Kpong Retrofit Project of VRA, Mr Ken Arthur, said the objective of providing the facility was to discourage people from using untreated water as their main source of drinking water.

Bilharzia

Mr Arthur said statistics from VRA's Environmental and Research Unit indicated that prevalence rate of Bilharzia in the community was about 65 per cent stressing that the worrying picture did not only call for urgent attention but also concerted efforts by everyone in the community to improve the situation.

He admonished the people of Teikpitikope to desist from using untreated water for drinking as well as defecating along the river, in order to halt the spread of bilharzia and subsequently eradicating it.

He expressed appreciation to the Ada East District Assembly and the Ghana Health Service for the collaboration and urged all partners to sustain the education, screening and mass drug administration of the Bilharzia disease in addition to the provision of potable water and sanitation facilities.

The manager in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility at VRA, Mr Samuel Fletcher, said the initial idea was to provide borehole facilities for the community however after the boreholes were drilled, it was detected that the water had high iron content hence the change to a solar powered, sand filtration system using the river as the main source of supply.

More help

Nene Ofoe Cherbie, a representative of the Chief of Pediatorkope, Nene Tsatsu Pediator commended VRA for the support and appealed to management to extend its intervention to the over 300 communities along the river which were facing similar difficulties with regard to access to drinking water.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ada East, Ms Sarah Dugbakie Pobee, advised the community to take good care of the new facility handed over to them and ensure that it was well maintained.