Beirut: International Needs Ghana has commissioned a modern water system at Bakpo in the South Tongu Municipality of the Volta Region to address longstanding challenges in access to safe drinking water.
According to Ghana News Agency, the project, supported by International Needs USA, aims to improve access to clean water and reduce water-related diseases in the community. Mr. Cromwell Awadey, Executive Director of International Needs Ghana, emphasized that access to clean water is a fundamental human right and a key factor in health, dignity, and socio-economic development. He highlighted that millions globally still rely on unsafe water sources, with World Health Organization data indicating about 106 million people depend on untreated surface water.
Mr. Awadey pointed out that in Ghana, around 12 percent of the population relies on unimproved water sources. In the Volta Region, about 15 percent have limited access, with nearly 30 percent of rural South Tongu residents depending on surface water. This issue affects education, productivity, and health, as children often miss school and households spend considerable time fetching water. The intervention followed a 2025 request from Bakpo chiefs and elders, whose assessments revealed residents were using unsafe sources, including abandoned quarry pits and shared water points with animals.
In response, boreholes were drilled in Bakpo and Kpodzadzi communities in late 2025. However, water quality tests showed high iron content, necessitating a treatment system for Bakpo. The facility, valued at GHS 117,000, includes a mechanized borehole, water storage tanks, a three-tap fetching point, and drainage with soak-away infrastructure. It also features an automated treatment system with sand, iron removal, and carbon filtration units to ensure safe, odourless water.
Mr. Awadey noted that the community contributed an existing platform and tank, which was upgraded with an additional 6,000-litre capacity tank. A Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Committee will be trained to manage the facility, ensuring sustainability and community ownership. The South Tongu Municipal Chief Executive, Victoria Dzeklo, praised International Needs Ghana for the intervention and urged residents to maintain the facility through responsible use and ownership.
Community leaders and residents expressed gratitude, pledging to protect the facility, support the WATSAN Committee, and ensure its long-term sustainability.