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The search for potable water at Kpling …residents want quick intervention
• It’s common to see young girls carry water gallons on bicycle
Ashma and friends are among dozens of girls who skip school every morning to get water for their household chores.
In many rural areas in Northern Ghana, women and children especially girls walk for hours with pans to get water from streams and dams. It is common to see residents carry their water containers on bicycle.
Access to clean water is quite a luxury for many of these rural dwellers who will sacrifices, even their school hours in order to get water.
In Kpling community, in the Wulensi South District in the Northern Region, community members get their drinking and household water from a nearby river.
Agnes, a mother said, reliable access to clean, safe water was a basic human right, but they were yet to experience it.
She lamented how difficult it was to get access to water during the dry season.
“As you can see, our children are bathing at the other side of the river while we wash our cloths here and others fetch from the others for household chores.
“This situation isn’t safe for us, but we have no choice than to use this source of water for drinking and home chores. Our children regularly have skin rashes and other waterborne related diseases
“We are pleading with the government and organisations to come to our aid by providing us at least drinking water,” she said.
From Geoffrey Buta, Kpling
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
