The borehole, which will provide water to the about a 1,000 residents in Serdom, has 9 delivery outlets which can discharge water to 9 individuals at the same time.

The donation, which forms part of VRA’s corporate social responsibility to these communities which were affected by the construction of the Akosombo and Kpong dams.

A fact finding search done by VRA’s public health section revealed that, over 300 communities dotted around the Volta Basin have been infected with Schistosomiasis, and residents of Serdom are most affected with over 70 percent of them having bilharzia.

In a speech read on behalf of the Director of Environment of VRA, the Deputy Chief Executive Engineering and operations of VRA, Mr. Kwesi Prempeh, stated that the VRA will continue to provide interventions which include control and management of aquatic weeds that serve as habitats for Schistosomiasis snail vectors, assist in the provision of safe water and sanitation facilities, education and awareness creation as well as treat affected people in endemic communities.”

He noted that, “we have an existing collaboration which has been defined in a memorandum of understanding and with this, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has agreed to treat affected people under the MDA program, while VRA will financially support GHS as well as undertake education and awareness campaigns, assess the effectiveness of the GHS MDA Programme.”

Mr. Kwesi Prempeh commended the GHS for their immense contribution, saying, ” the collaboration with the GHS has been quite fruitful considering that average prevalence for urinary Schistosomiasis has fallen from 40 to 25 percent in the communities assessed, and the GHS contributed to achieving this.”

Sam Fletcher, the CSR Manager of VRA, indicated his outfit’s readiness to support vulnerable communities like Serdom, saying “VRA will not relent on its efforts to help communities that our activities are affecting them, we will provide assistance and continuous support in any way we can.”

“We know it will be difficult for the residents to move away from the river; but we will still continue our education and sensitize them not to bypass the borehole to go to the river for water because it’s the only way they can avoid being infected with Schistosomiasis”

The Director of Health Services for Asougyaman District, Dr. Abdul Aziz, who was the chairman for the sensitization and education campaign, also advised residents not to hide in their homes when health professionals come around to treat people in the affected communities.

“We always get reports from our trained health professionals who are sent to administer drugs to residents in the affected communities complaining about how the people resist and reject their services so I plead that they open their doors to our staff when they come around.”

Before 2011, the Volta River Authority single-handedly treated and managed Schistosomiasis cases in affected communities in the Volta Basin, and 2016,  the VRA provided biofil toilet facilities for Kebenu, a village in the south Tongu District that recorded high levels of intestinal Schistosomiasis.

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By: Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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