The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has constructed and handed over two mechanised boreholes to the Navrongo Senior High School (NAVASCO) in the Upper East Region. The gesture, which was done under the company’s Educational Support Initiative, cost GRIDCo an amount of one hundred thousand (GH₵100,000) Ghana Cedis.
Dzifa Bampoh, Corporate Communications Manager of GRIDCo, said her outfit supplied the school with potable water because NAVASCO is within an area of influence where the company operates.
”Here in Bolga, we have our area office, and GRIDCo’s most important facility in this region is the Nayagnia Substation. Through this facility, Ghana exports power to Burkina Faso, so GRIDCo, as a company, cares about the communities within which it operates. This is why we saw the urgent need to support NAVASCO when a request was made to assist the school fix the water challenges.”
Mrs. Bampo, who spoke to the media after handing over the two mechanised boreholes to authorities of the Navrongo SHS said the support to the school was in fulfilment of one of GRIDCo’s Core Values “CARE” which demonstrates the company’s commitment to supporting its stakeholders in its areas of operation.
“It is also in line with GRIDCo’s Sustainable Corporate Social Responsibility and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 – “Ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”, she said.
Mrs. Bampo, who urged the students to conserve the water and not waste it mentioned that the 2023 UN Water Conference stated that climate change was affecting access to water in several parts of Ghana, especially in the north. She called on the school authorities to take good care of the newly constructed boreholes.
The headmistress of the Navrongo Senior High School, Mercy Babachuweh, said the high water demand has made it difficult for some students and staff to stay on campus.
With a current student population of 2,034 and a staff population of 78 staying on campus, she said this great number depends on only two mechanised boreholes and four manual ones.
“Out of the two mechanised boreholes, one was serving 6 student blocks and staff in the Eastern Zone. The other was serving one student’s block, the kitchen, the mosque, and staff in the Southern Zone. You can imagine how these boreholes were over task. This resulted in constant breakdowns of the pumping machines, thereby resulting in huge bills for the school. Besides, students spend more time searching for water resulting in truancy”
She said it was expected that students would now spend less time searching for water and that will ultimately result in more contact hours for teaching and learning “hence academic excellence, good personal hygiene, and a disciplined student body.”
The headmistress described the provision of the two mechanized boreholes to the school by GRIDCo as a timely and great relief and said the two boreholes will serve the 6 students’ dormitory blocks.
The Senior Prefect of NAVASCO, Nyaaba Simon Anyorka said students can now heave a sigh of relief at the difficulty they went through getting water daily.
“I can remember, students will leave campus and when you ask, they will say they were trying to get water from the nearby communities. But now that the water is in abundance on campus, no one will use that as an excuse again and the school authorities will not permit anyone wanting to get water outside when there is water on campus”, he said.
The Kassena-Nankana Municipal Director of Education, Alice Ellen Abeere-inga extends her gratitude to GRIDCo for the provision of water to the school. She expressed optimism that the water project would give peace of mind to the students especially the girls when they are in their menstrual period to concentrate in the classroom.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Navrongo|Ghana
