Buffer Zone Planned For Weija Area

By Stephen Kwabena Effah
Wednesday, 12 December 2007

The Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing is to create a buffer zone at the Weija Dam and Water Treatment Plant area to enable the company to fence the demarcated area.

In view of this, the demolition of unauthorised structures in the area which started on November 28, by the Ghana Water Company Limited has temporarily been suspended, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique, the sector Minister, told the Times yesterday.

He said the demolition would resume immediately after the buffer zone was created, but did not state when it will be done for the exercise to continue.

"We have to do it (the demolition) with passion and a human face," he said, adding "those who will be unfortunate and fall within the buffer zone will not be spared demolition."

On Novembner 28, some 25 unauthorised houses close to the Weija Dam were pulled down by a task force contracted by the Ghana Water Company.

They were among 2,000 structures originally earmarked to be pulled down following a warning to encroachers to move from the land belonging to the company since the structures pose a threat to the dam and the treatment plant.

The Minister was speaking to the Times after the Ghana Water Company had signed a 71-million dollar water supply contract with TAHAL Consulting Engineers Limited to instal a nine million gallon capacity Water Treatment Plant per day to residents of Accra-Tema Municipal Area, known as the ATMA Rurals.

Financed by the Dutch and Israeli governments, it will cover the Accra Plains area, the Coastal area east of Tema and the Kpong-Akuse area, Akwapim Ridge, Agomeda, Dodowa area and Somanya-Odumase area.

The water supply system for the project will be based on the Kpong Old Water Works. The project, divided into two, will run concurrent and is expected to be completed within 36 months after commencement.

Alhaji Saddique said government was committed to ensuring 81 percent water supply coverage by 2015, adding that government was making sure that monies given for contracts were maximised to be able to achieve the target.

Maxim Barel, Director of TAHAL in charge of Africa Operations said work on the project will start early next year.