Government is poised to deliver on its promise to provide the citizenry with potable water especially in small and rural communities.
Dr Hannah Bissiw, Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing said it was government intention to give water and sanitation
a significant bias on the national development agenda.
She said inadequate environmental sanitation was affecting the countries development because it was closely linked to poverty and the lack of access to clean water and food security.
Dr Bissiw made this known during the inauguration of a water project for Atiavi in the Keta Municipality in the Volta Region.
She noted that some water borne diseases like cholera and buruli ulcer does not occur as a result of bad water consumption but rather
poor hygiene, which render children and adult susceptible to wide range of illness from intestinal parasites to diarrhoea.
“Intestinal parasites reduce the absorption of nutrients and are a leading cause of anaemia, which can lead to retarded growth and development,” she said.
Dr Bissiw congratulated all those who had contributed in diverse ways to the implementation and completion of the project.
“No more shall our people drink or cook with unwholesome water, and no more shall we spend our hard-earned money to go to the hospital because of water-borne diseases and our children will chuck more good academic laurels,” she said.
Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Deputy Minister of Local Government and rural Development said government was committed to improve the quality
of life of every Ghanaian by linking every community to safe and clean drinking water.
He said water was a dire necessity of life and the problem that lack of safe drinking water can cause should be a phenomenon of the past.
He said the recent upsurge in cholera cases in some communities whose sources of drinking water were polluted was a wakeup call to hold the project dearly.
Mr Gershon Kwabla Yakawonya, National Chairman of Atiavi Development Association (ADA) expressed gratitude for the completion of the project to provide safe drinking water to the area and its environ.
He said it was gratifying to note that the top on the priority list of social amenities to promote social and economic development in
Atiavi was the provision of pipe-borne water.
He urged members of ADA to wake up from their slumber and start running for more developmental projects for the community.
Torgbui Adri IV, Dufia Atiavi congratulated the government and executives of ADA for their immense contribution to the development of
the community.
He called for unity, peace and harmony for the development of the community.