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Readings from the budget, affordable housing policy on
course - Baah-Wiredu
Accra, Nov. 15, GNA - The Ministry of Water Resource, Works
and Housing is committed to the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of 73 per cent of water
coverage by 2015, and the Ghana Growth and Poverty-Reduction
Strategy objective of 85 per cent coverage by 2015.
Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance, Economic
Planning, in his budget presentation said the target to
deliver 100,000 housing units in all the regional capitals
and some district capitals within a period of five years was
on course.
He said the final draft of the National Housing Policy was
completed and submitted to Cabinet for consideration and
approval and the concerns raised by Cabinet sub-committee on
infrastructure were being addressed.
The Minister said in line with the policy to provide safe,
decent and affordable housing for all people in Ghana, the
Ministry continued with the construction of 1,500 flats each
at Borteyman and Kpone; 1,192 flats at Asokore-Mampong; 200
flats at Tamale and 400 flats at Koforidua.
"The Ministry has also commenced the construction of 150
flats each at Wa and Bolgatanga. The housing units are at
various stages of completion.
Mr Baah-Wiredu announced that the construction of the
Affordable Housing Units would commence in Sekondi-Takoradi,
Sunyani, Cape Coast and Ho early next year.
He said the Ministry continued the sale of Government Low
Cost Houses throughout the country with the view to using
the revenue accrued to increase the stock of decent, safe
and affordable houses for workers.
He said so far about 5,000 units had been offered for sale.
The Minister said the Ministry was working on the
restoration of the
Peduase Lodge and the main structural, civil, electrical,
mechanical, air-condition works were completed.
"Work on special furnishings, fixtures, fittings and
draperies as well as painting are ongoing. External civil
works, telephone system, horticultural, lighting and
security as well as auxiliary works are also ongoing," he
said.
On the Keta Sea Defence Resettlement Programme, he said the
84.0 million dollars project comprising six groynes; a
783-metre revetment; 8.5 kilometre main link and cross roads
between Havedzi and Keta; 272 hectares of land reclaimed and
a 20 bay flood control structure had been completed and were
functional.
He said the construction of 836 resettlement houses for
displaced inhabitants was ongoing. Since its implementation,
254 houses out of the contracted 444 had been completed and
occupied with the remaining 190 houses at various stages of
completion.
He said water supply had been extended to the resettlement
sites at Kedzi, Vodza and Adzido and work on the sewerage
system was also progressing steadily with about 50 houses,
which had been connected at Adzido.
The Minister said transmission of electricity to the site
was also completed.
On rural water, Mr
Baah-Wiredu said the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA)
had dug 283 new boreholes; 63 hand-dug wells; 111 boreholes
and rehabilitated nine hand-dug wells; executed 30 small
towns piped schemes and 24 others at various stages of
completion.
The CWSA also constructed 1,904 household and 127
institutional latrines during the year under review.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said water supply improvement to some
educational institutions in the Central Region namely, St.
Augustine College; Mfantsipim; Adisadel; Aggrey Memorial;
Wesley Girls; Ghana National; Edinaman; the University of
Cape-Coast and the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital had been
completed.
He said work on the Kwanyaku Water Supply System had also
been completed and inaugurated. This has increased the
output of water from the present three million gallons a day
to six million gallons.
"Over 700,000 people at Kwanyaku and its environs are
benefiting from the facility," he said.
He announced that work on the East-West Water Transfer
Interconnection, which started in March 2007 was about 35
per cent completed, and work was progressing steadily.
"Site preparation for the treatment plant; excavation work
for the construction of filters and clarifiers; pipe-laying
from the Okponglo Booster Station and pipe-laying to Atomic
Junction have all been completed.
"Pipe-laying through the Achimota Forest en-route to the
Okponglo Booster Station is ongoing. The project when
completed will provide water to the Eastern parts of Accra -
Achimota, Taifa, Dome, Tantra Hill, Ofankor, Amasaman," he
said.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the Cape Coast Water Supply Expansion
Project would draw water from Sekyere Hemang and supply
potable water to all towns en-route to Cape Coast.
He said work on the Tamale Water Supply Expansion was in
progress with the laying of pipelines to the new water
treatment plant as well as undertaking water assets
management.
The Minister said work started on the Koforidua Water Supply
Project in May after receipt of advance payment and the
final design of the works was completed and actual
construction has started.
The project is expected to be completed in November 2009.
On Urban Water Project (UWP), he said, Mr Baah-Wiredu said
the GWCL management contract operator was in its second year
of operation. The procurement of works, pipe-laying and
associated works, vehicles for operations and office
equipment have all been completed.
Mr Baah-Wiredu announced
that the Ministry was in consultation with Messrs Coman
Engineering and Contracting of the Netherlands for the Wa
Water Supply Project at a total cost of 39 million euros.
He said to further improve upon water supply to Adenta and
its environs, GWCL was to carry out a second phase of the
Adenta Water Supply Improvement Works.
Newly developing communities that lie between Dodowa and
Adenta were also to benefit from the project.
On the Kumasi Water Supply Project, he said, Messrs Taylor
Woodrow had completed all processes in the financing and was
undertaking further expansion works to Barekese on a turnkey
basis.
The design and construction works had commenced and the
contractor was mobilizing to site, he said, adding that the
consultant for the supervision of the project had also been
selected.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the African Development Fund had
provided funds through the Swedish Government (Swedish Trust
Fund) to undertake studies on Water and Sanitation in Wa,
Yendi and Damongo.
The objective of the study was to assess water and
sanitation requirements of the towns up to the year 2020 in
line with the national target in the National Water Sector
Policy and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by
providing a feasibility study, designing a project and
preparing tender documents for immediate implementation, he
said.
Touching on the Integrated Odaw Basin Development Project he
said, stage III works estimated at about 18 Million euros
and involved the removal of the estimated 180,000 m3
accumulated silt and other materials in the approximately 10
kilometre long feeding canals of Kaneshie, Odaw and
Agbogbloshie was nearing completion.
"The waste water treatment plant, a 75-metre long
interceptor weir and the 2.3-kilometre long new sea outfall
pipe have been completed and functional. A pre-feasibility
study for a sewerage treatment plant to an expanded scope of
KLERP has been completed.
Preparation of feasibility studies, detailed designs and
contract document for physical implementation is progressing
steadily.”
Mr Baah-Wiredu said 10.4 million euros for the relocation of
Sodom and Gomorrah and the bulk market from old Fadama to
Adjen Kotoku had been secured and preparatory works
including land acquisition had been completed.
He said work had started on the 12.1 million Euro Elmina
Benya Lagoon Restoration Project and so far about 43 per
cent of the works on dredging of the 1,200 metre long lagoon
and breakwater works have been completed.
He said an assessment on the Ada Coastal Protection Works
had been completed since February 2007 on approximately 14
kilometres shoreline stretching from Azizanya to Otrokpe.
About 10 kilometres of the shoreline would be protected by a
system of groynes/sand nourishment and four kilometres with
a revetment structure including a groyne at the estuary of
the Volta river to ensure a permanent opening to allow
continuous inflow of sea water.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the channel
improvement works as a flood control measure estimated at
about 1.25 million euros on the 1,000-metre stretch of the
Densu River at Nsawam was nearing completion.
"Flood Control and Coastal Protection Works 590 and the
reduction in the incidence of flooding in some parts of the
city of Accra have been achieved as a result of channel
improvement works undertaken by the Ministry on some primary
drains in Accra.
"The Ministry's interventions at some critical areas
undergoing sea erosion along the shoreline at Dixcove, Shama
and Axim in the Western Region, are ongoing.”
On transportation, The Minister said the Transport Ministry
was mandated to ensure the provision of affordable,
integrated, safe, responsive, and sustainable road transport
system comprising road infrastructure and transport services
that will meet the economic, social and environmental needs
as well as national and international standards.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said in support of Growth and
Poverty-Reduction Strategy (GPRS) II, the 2007 Budget took
into consideration the derived objectives of integrating
rural and urban economies as well as ensuring lower
transport costs through the provision of safe and reliable
road infrastructure and services.
He said the Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of
Local Government, Rural Development and Environment (MLGRDE),
in September, 2007 launched the Urban Transport Project (UTP)
to reduce congestion by modernizing the operation of public
transport and traffic managements in some selected major
cities.
The project, he said, would be implemented in: Accra
Metropolitan Assembly (AMA); Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA);
Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA); Ga East District Assembly (GEDA);
Ga West District Assembly (GWDA) and Ejisu Juaben District
Assembly (EJDA).
Mr Baah-Wiredu said a Project Advisory Office (PAO) had been
set up to coordinate the implementation of this 5-year
project.
The office would evolve into a Centre for Urban
Transportation by 2010. Project designs have begun for the
construction of a pilot Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route from
the Central Business District (CBD) to Mallam in Accra.
He said the Ministry, in collaboration with Ghana
Statistical Service (GSS) has completed the development of
poverty monitoring indicators for establishing the linkages
between poverty reduction and road transport development.
He announced that the Ministry had revised the Road Traffic
Regulations this year to operationalise the Road Traffic Act
683 of 2004.
He said the Ghana Highway Authority undertook routine
maintenance works of a total of 6,486.08 km and periodic
maintenance works of 151.34 km involving re-gravelling/spot
improvement and resealing during the year under review.
GNA
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