Batuisa residents ask for drinking water

Regional news for Thursday, September 10, 2020

Source: GNA

2020-09-10

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The chief and people of the Batuisa community in the southern Builsa district of the Alto Oriente region have called on the government to drill to provide relief to residents.

Villagers, who do not have a source of drinking water, depend on rivers and streams, which generally run dry during the dry season.

Nab Adindiok Ateng, the head of the community, made the appeal on behalf of his people in a Social Audit forum, organized by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) with funding from the European Union (EU).

The forum on the theme “Citizens for Transparency and Accountability” was part of the Anti-Corruption, Rule of Law and Accountability Program (ARAP).

The Chief noted that it would be a relief if the government through the Builsa South District Assembly or charities could help the community with drilling.

Apart from the issue of clean water, Nab Ateng mentioned the development needs of the community, which needed attention to improve people’s livelihoods.

He called for the completion of a Community-Based Health Planning, Electricity, Services and Planning Center (CHPS) and the expansion of the Livelihoods Empowerment Program Against Poverty (LEAP) to cover groups most vulnerable in the area.

Abdul Mumuni Adams, the Assemblyman of the Batuisa-Naadema Electoral Area, promised to convey some of the concerns raised by the chief and the people of the area to the District Assembly for redress.

Alhaji Alhassan Bukari, NCCE District Director, explained that the Social Audit program was aimed at promoting community ownership of development projects and policies.

He said the program also aimed to raise awareness about the operations of the Local Government Law and empower citizens to hold duty bearers to account.

Alhaji Bukari instructed community members on the need to hold duty bearers accountable to ensure that government resources are used wisely.

He explained that the Social Audit is not an event but a process to achieve a good result.

“The Social Audit will help community members to know the plans, policies and programs of the District Assembly so that their activities can be closely monitored and ensure that development projects are executed effectively,” emphasized the District Director.

Through the efforts of the NCCE, a five-member Community Implementation Committee was formed to work with relevant stakeholders to address the development needs of the community.