PURC inaugurates four mechanised boreholes at Bongo-Dua  

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has inaugurated four mechanised boreholes for the chiefs and people of the Dua Electoral Area in the Bongo District.  

Each of the water systems is fitted with an overhead 10,000-litre polytank and standpipes and has been provided to the Dua-Yikene and Dua-Nayiri sub-communities to help address the water crisis that had plagued the area for years.  

The intervention, which formed part of the Commission’s corporate social responsibility, established by the PURC Act, 2010 (Act 800), followed an appeal made in writing by Mr William Amuna, an opinion leader of the Dua community, to the Commission to help resolve the decades-long water challenges.  

At a brief ceremony to hand over the water systems to the community, Mr Seth Kponyo, the Upper East Regional Manager of the PURC, noted that apart from regulating utilities, the Commission was also mandated to support pressing community needs such as access to potable water.  

“The project is enabled by the PURC Act, 2010 (Act 800), which provides a legal basis for the Commission to fund pro-poor water programmes. We focus on regions and districts where residents lack adequate and safe drinking water, often relying on sources like streams, dams, and dugout wells,” he said.  

He called on the district assembly, assembly members, chiefs, and opinion leaders to work together to maintain and sustain the project to achieve its intended goal.  

“By providing access to clean water, the PURC is helping Ghana achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Six, which aims to ensure access to water and sanitation for all by 2030,” he added.  

Mr Joseph Abaah Akasake, the Bongo District Chief Executive, commended the PURC for the intervention, noting that it complemented the efforts of the district assembly to address water challenges.  

He explained that the Bongo district was bedevilled with high fluoride content in most water sources and appealed to the PURC to provide more mechanised water systems and facilitate the redirection of treated water from the Vea Dam to the area to help address the problem.  

Naba Agengimogre Akurugu, the Chief of Dua, commended the opinion leader for the initiative that secured the boreholes for the community, saying that it would help prevent women and children from trekking long distances in search of water.  

Mr Albert Akolbire Akolgo, the Assemblyman for the Dua Electoral Area, also lauded the initiative and appealed to the PURC and other organisations for more support in improving access to potable water, noting that several parts of the area with large populations were still struggling with acute water shortages.  

Source: GNA