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The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and Ghanaian authorities are working on a project to increase the drinking water supply in Sunyani, the regional capital of Bono, and parts of the region.

The project involves the construction of facilities to increase the capacity of the Sunyani water treatment plant from the current 6,819 cubic metres (m³) per day to 55,000 m³ per day.

The existing Sunyani was constructed in 1962, and its current output is insufficient to meet the 6 million gallons (27,000 m³) per day demand of the over 200,000 people in the greater Sunyani area. Sunyani currently depends on groundwater pumping stations to meet its water needs, and with this project, the pressure on the water table will be reduced through the storage of rainwater. 

Dr. Samuel Ason, GWCL’s regional chief engineer for Bono, and Madam Justina Owusu-Banahen, regional minister of Bono, visited the site where the new water facilities are planned in Abesim, near Sunyani. The launch of the project was announced after that by the Bono Region authorities.

Speaking during the site visit, Dr. Ason confirmed that, on completion, the upgraded facility would produce about 12.1 million gallons (55,000 m³) of treated water daily, which is double the current demand, and designed to meet the water demand of the area in the year 2040.

The project will have a water intake capacity of 57,500 cubic metres (m³) per day. This daily intake will be used as the supply source for the drinking water plant. The water treatment plant will have a capacity of 55,000 m³ per day.

The scope of works to be undertaken on the project will also include:

• ground-level and elevated tanks with a total capacity of 16,500 m³
• two booster stations
• 93 kilometres of transmission pipelines
• supply of 10,000 domestic meters
• construction of laboratories and chemical storage buildings
• a power line to power up the plant

The project is expected to be undertaken within 36 months, with the completed facility delivered by 2025. 
 
Dr. Ason stressed the importance of this project as the current water needs of the municipality could not be met because of rapid population growth. The GWCL must pump about six million gallons of water daily before it can meet the Municipality’s demands. Boreholes have provided a quick fix with 10 constructed to meet water-deprived communities' demands.
 
Owusu-Banahene commended the GWCL’s work on the boreholes and urged them to be proactive and move further into rainwater harvesting, treatment, and storage.  

Top Photo: A water treatment facility - Stock Image (Toa555 | Dreamstime)