Under the 2009 budgetary provision for small towns minor rehabilitation programme, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), has requested for funding in addition to its own internal resources to undertake rehabilitation works to improve on water supplies to some communities including Akyem Oda in the Eastern Region.
Some of the short term rehabilitation works include rehabilitation and expansion of distribution networks and the development and mechanization of additional boreholes to meet water demand.
Mr Albert Abongo, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, told Parliament on Monday that the Akyem Oda water supply systems was based on the "abstraction of ground water by means of six mechanized boreholes, which requires rehabilitation and expansion."
The Minister was responding to a question on when the general water rehabilitation works mentioned in this year's budget for some communities including Akyem Oda would start.
Mr Abongo said in the long term the water supply of Akyem Oda should be based on the importation and treatment of surface water from a dam constructed near the confluence of Pra and Birim rivers.
In response to another question from the NPP Member of Parliament for Bimbilla, Mr Dominic Ntiwul, on when water supplies from the Small Town Water system would begin in some towns such as Chamba, Bimbilla, Bakpaba and Makayili in the Northern Region, the Minister said the project had been captured under a 30 million-dollar CIDA funded grant.
He said the project began in 2008 and was scheduled to be completed in 2015.
The Minister said a consultant had been contracted and a draft project implementation plan had been completed.
He said Makayili and others would be given priority but Bimbilla and Bakpaba had not been slated under the programme for now as sourcing for funds were still ongoing.
Responding to another question on when some communities in the Mfantseman East constituency such as Ekumfi Otuam, Ekumfi Akra and Ekumfi Asaman would have pipe-borne water supplies, Mr Abongo said an extension of pipe network under the Winneba Water Supply system had been provided by the World Bank and it would be implemented by the end of this year.