Don't connect 'poisoned' white volta to communities - North Gonja NDC to NPP Candidate

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Daboya- Mankarigu Constituency (North Gonja District) of the Savannah Region have accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary candidate of trying to connect water from the white Volta river water in its current “poisoned” state to a number of communities even though he knows the water is not safe for human consumption.

A statement signed by the NDC Communication Officer for the Daboya-Mankarigu Constituency Abdulai Sulemana and copied to Bole based Nkilgi FM said it has come to their attention the NPP parliamentary candidate for the Constituency Alhaji Asei Asei Mahama is working with one Chief Gaaba to draw raw water from the white Volta near Daboya to a number of communities in the East of Daboya without being mindful of the fact that pumping the untreated “poisoned” water to serve the people of the communities has a long term health implication.

The communities according to the NDC comprise those in the Kagbal electoral area which are Kagbal, Sinsina, Tidrope and Tidrope fishing camp as well as those in the Gua Electoral Area which comprise Gua, Gua fishing camp, Kito and Kito fishing camp.

The NDC said the Member of Parliament (MP) for Daboya-Mankarigu Lawyer Shaibu Mahama got some engineers to dig boreholes in the said communities but the low water table has always been a problem.

Mr Abdulai Sulemana said the MP Hon Mahama then started a project with Chief Gaaba to draw water from the Volta to some of the said communities and fully paid for a pumping machine but upon advice from the Ghana Water Company and Community water and Sanitation Agency, work has been put on hold.

“They confirmed that mining activities upstream have polluted the river with a lot of chemicals and therefore not safe for consumption and other Domestic uses which has the tendencies of creating a bigger health challenge to the people rather than solving the historic water crisis in the area”; Mr Sulemana said adding; “In their technical view, treating the water from the White Volta River before supplying to the communities is the ultimate solution”.

According to the NDC Communication Officer, the experts also advised that the Central government and the North Gonja District Assembly who have a bigger financial stand should take up the project by building a treatment plant that is capital intensive.

The NDC said it came to them with relief when they heard the DCE for North Gonja went round the communities and told the people that, the government has awarded the contract for the supply of treated water from the White Volta to the entire area and the said contractor was accordingly introduced to the people and that it is quite surprising that they saw pictures of the construction of pipelines purported to be initiated by the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for the area.

“The white Volta river water in its current state is not safe for human consumption and the NPP candidate can and should seek for expert advice and if he ignores this and goes ahead, then he should make sure he does not connect his pipes to the machine the MP bought for the supply of water because the MP will not be part of this mess the NPP candidate is trying to create” the statement concluded.