Five per cent demand unfair to rural areas

Page 14, Feb 26, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Daniel Nkrumah
THE Minister designate for Water Resources, Works & Housing, Mr Albert Abongo, says it is unfair for rural dwellers to be required to pay five per cent of the construction of water systems in their villages and towns.
He notes that since water is a basic necessity of life, every possible step has to be taken to ensure that rural communities are not denied clean water if they are unable to raise the five per cent component of the rural water construction programmes.
Mr Abongo, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bongo Constituency, made the observations at his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament. He was nominated by President J.E.A Mills to replace Mr Moses Asaga, whose nomination was withdrawn.
He was the last person among the 35 ministerial nominees to be vetted by the committee.
The nominee, who appeared at the precincts of Parliament with a large following of friends, relatives and admirers, led by the popular musician King Ayisoba, noted that while the existing water systems in the country needed to be expanded, new systems should also be constructed to enable more communities to have access to potable water.
Mr Abongo stated that the Community Water and Sanitation Agency’s (CWSA) long-term programme to provide potable water for 76 per cent of rural communities should be strictly followed and reinvigorated.
Touching on the guineaworm menace, the nominee stated that endemic communities would be provided with borehole systems to enable them to have safe drinking water as a measure to eradicate the disease.
He stressed the need for enforcement of the provision in the building code which made it mandatory for systems to be provided for rain harvesting.
On the housing sector, the minister designate noted that there was the need for the construction of 100,000 housing units every year to make up for the current deficit in the sector.
He said there would also be the need for the review of the rent control laws in the country to prevent landlords from demanding rent advance covering a long period from prospective tenants.
The Minister designate for the Presidency, Mr Azong Alhassan, spent less than 10 minutes to answer questions mainly on his curriculum vitae (CV).
He stood in awe as the chairman of the committee, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, discharged him after witnessing his colleagues, in some cases, spend more than two hours with the committee answering a number of questions.