The Northern Development Authority (NDA) has commissioned a total of 32 boreholes in the Bunkprugu-Nakpanduri district in the North East Region.
The intervention is to ensure that the communities have access to potable water for consumption and domestic chores.
The boreholes are being provided at the time that many communities in the northern part of the country are bedevilled with acute shortage of water.
Residents in Tamale and other parts of the north for several months used productive hours in search of water.
This has greatly affected productivity as well as teaching and learning in most basic and second cycle schools as students struggle for water.
The Chief Executive Officer of NDA, Lawyer Sule Sambian, who commissioned the water facilities mentioned that the authority has drilled over 120 boreholes doted across the five regions of the North under the flagship Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Program (IPEP).
“When I took over as CEO of the Northern Development Authority, I decided to do a tour of the regions. Then, I got to know for the first that water was critical for the people of the five regions of the north. So, what I did was to put in a mechanism to get approval from government so that we could drill some boreholes for the various communities,” he narrated.
Lawyer Sambian said the Authority is assiduously working to provide more communities with clean water especially those in deprived rural areas.
“Water is life and having realized that the people are dire need of more water, we will put in measures to ensure that we get more boreholes before the end of 2024,” he assured.
The sustainable development goal 6 enjoins UN member states to provide Clean Water and Sanitation for all by 2023 and the NDA’s intervention is clearly in line with that.
The Chief Executive however advised the beneficiary communities to constitute local committees to ensure the facilities are properly taken care of and maintained to serve the people.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Bunkpurgu-Nakpanduri, Joseph Louknaan, who was present at the commissioning ceremonies, in his remarks commended the NDA for the swift intervention.
“I am thankful and on behalf of my people, we’re extending huge gratitude to the NDA for giving us our share of the national cake.
“You can see as we’re moving round the communities that the women and children are very excited because they are craving for potable water,” he added.
The DCE has also appealed to development partners to collaborate with the assembly in the area of water, sanitation and hygiene.
He stated that the population in the district is increasing and that the boreholes in the area is not enough to meet the demand of the entire district.
Meanwhile, the NDA has also rolled out about 191 infrastructure projects under the IPEP initiative since 2018 in the North East region.
These include the construction of school blocks, furniture, clinics, accommodation for health workers, feeder roads, extension of electricity, tractors among others.
