The sounds of the flow of water at Atonkor Buem in the Jasikan Municipality of the Oti Region synchronised with applause from community members. This is because its mechanised water system facility was commissioned by international non-government organisation (NGO) Plan International Ghana’s Integrated Package for Sustainable Development (IPADEV). They beamed with joy because the construction of the water project will impact positively on their lives and prevent many water-borne diseases. The mechanised water system facility falls under Plan International Ghana’s IPADEV project, which has been rolled out in the Jasikan and West Mamprusi municipalities. As he shared in the joy, Mr. Kofi Iddie Adams, Member of Parliament (MP) for Buem Constituency, wants IPADEV to cover all towns and villages in his constituency, which are without access to clean and safely managed Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities and possibly to all the 261 local assemblies across the country. He appealed to the management of IPADEV to extend the water project to other Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) across Ghana. Mr. Adam said access to clean and safe management WASH was fundamental in the development of every human settlement. He said: ‘I know there are equally many other life-changing projects being initiated by Plan International Ghana in the municipality but permit me to also add my voice to that of my MCE, to appeal to the country director of Plan Ghana who is in our mix today to extend the IPADEV project to cover the remaining towns and villages which lacks such facilities. ‘The IPADEV project is very unique from other projects because it is a whole package that addresses the three components of WASH.’ While calling for the expansion of the project also admonished members of the Water and Sanitation, Mr Adams urged team managers and users of the facility to handle it with care. He said: ‘We don’t want a situation where the team from Plan Ghana come to inspect the facility in say a year or two and find the beautiful project in a big mess. ‘Please put into practice all the things you have been taught to maintain this facility. Nana Asiedu Adjedu IV, Chief of Atonkor Buem said: ‘Please, thank you Plan Ghana, for making Atonkor Buem a beneficiary of the IPADV project. ‘I want to thank especially Mr Solomon Tesfamariam, the Plan Ghana Country Director for choosing Atonkor Buem for this project.’ The mechanised water system facility falls under Plan International Ghana’s Integrated Package for Sustainable Development (IPADEV) project, which has been rolled out in the Jasikan and West Mamprusi municipalities. Madam Elizabeth Kessewaah Anim Adjornor, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Jasikan Municipal Assembly, commended the management of Plan Ghana and the IPADEV project team for choosing her municipality for the provision of such transformative, life-changing, and life-enhancing projects. Madam Adjornor explained that provision of clean and safe water for the Atonkor-Buem and other communities cannot be underestimated. ‘The availability of clean and safely managed water, both in terms of quantity and quality, stands as a cornerstone in its edifice of community development, hence the establishment of this water facility by Plan Ghana and its partners,’ the MCE for Jasikan Municipal Assembly retorted. She appealed to residents to adopt proper and regular hand washing, to avoid contracting preventable diseases. The MCE for Jasikan Municipal Assembly has, however, assured the providers of the mechanised water system of the municipality’s commitment to undertake good maintenance practices to ensure the facility lives up to its lifespan. Mr Solomon Tesfamariam, the Country Director of Plan International Ghana, said the project would contribute to creating a resilient and protective environment both at home and at school for better health and learning outcomes for children, especially girls, through equitable access to and effective utilisation of WASH, Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), education, health facilities, and services. He called on all stakeholders to scale up hand-washing initiatives to achieve global and national targets. The commissioning and handing over of the mechanised water system facility ceremony coincided with the commemoration of 2023 Global Handwashing Day, a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap under running water as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.

Source: Ghana News Agency