47 Upper West communities benefit from water projects

8h ago | Source: Graphic Online

Charles Launga Pouzing (arrowed), Upper West Regional Minister, assisting Naa Domepeeh Gyereh, Vice-President of Nandom Traditional Council, to commission the water project

The Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), in partnership with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the European Union (EU), has constructed 47 mechanised boreholes to enhance access to clean and potable water in three districts in the Upper West Region.

The project, implemented in the Nandom, Lawra, and Lambussie districts, aims to improve water availability and promote climate change resilience in rural communities.

At a ceremony in Kusele in the Nandom municipality to commission the borehole projects, the Project Manager of SNV, Theresa Swanzy, said the initiative was designed to support Ghana’s efforts toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which is to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.

“Water is a fundamental human need, and this underpins SNV’s commitment to the SDGs,” she stated.

Ms Swanzy stated that SNV’s work went beyond infrastructure provision, focusing also on fostering partnerships to promote sustainable, transparent and inclusive water resource management.

“We are not only opening water points; we are opening opportunities,” she added.

Water projects

Ms Swanzy said the boreholes were constructed under two major initiatives being implemented by SNV: Building Climate Adaptation Capacities (BCAC) and Healthy Future for All (HFOA).

Under the BCAC project, funded by the EU’s Ghana Agriculture Programme through GIZ’s Resilience Against Climate Change (REACH) component, SNV constructed 23 boreholes, trained

Water and Sanitation Management Teams (WSMTs) to manage the facilities, and supported over 1,000 farmers with climate information to enhance food security.

The HFOA project, funded by Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, seeks to ensure that every child under 15 grows up in a clean and healthy environment at home, in school, and in healthcare facilities.

Under this initiative, 24 communities from the Nandom and Lambussie districts benefitted.

The REACH Project Manager of GIZ, Mathias Berthold, described the initiative as a demonstration of strong partnerships and community-driven development.

“This facility is not only about providing water. It is a symbol of resilience, partnership and sustainable progress.”

“We are proud to work with communities directly confronting the harsh impacts of climate change, from reduced rainfall to degraded soils and threatened livelihoods,” he said.

The Upper West Regional Minister, Charles Lwanga Puozuing, commended SNV and its partners for their continued support in expanding access to water and sanitation facilities in the region.

“The provision of this facility and many other water interventions in the Lawra, Nandom and Lambussie districts by SNV is a testament to your dedication to environmental sustainability and your willingness to complement the government’s efforts,” he said.

Mr Puozuing reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the National Sanitation Day initiative, urging assemblies to allocate adequate budgets to sanitation and enforce local by-laws to maintain clean environments.

“We shall not defeat any of the infectious diseases that plague developing nations until we have won the battle for safe drinking water, sanitation, and basic health care,” he emphasised.

He also called on beneficiary communities to maintain the new facilities to ensure long-term benefits.