To ease the perennial water crisis, Daakye Oil Palm Plantations (DOPP), has constructed a mechanized borehole and potable water storage facility for Chujah, a farming community in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality. Residents of the beneficiary community are expected to pay a small fee per bucket to enable them raise funds to maintain the facility and also develop other communities. Addressing the gathering at the commissioning, the Unit Manager for DOPP, Mr George Mensah Dwumfour, explained that Future Global Resources (FGR) Bogoso Prestea Mine used to supply water to the residents of Chujah, but due to some challenges they stopped. The Mine approached the DOPP to provide the community with potable water. We contacted the opinion leaders of Chujah and some farmers in the neighborhood who had benefitted from the DOPP and they directed us to go for loan from their revolving fund to get the project done, he said Mr Dwumfour indicated that they engaged Crystal Scientifics Laboratory to put up a good porta ble drinking water for the community, adding the water has undergone testing and it is safe for human consumption. Madam Joana Akosua Manu, Chairperson for Chujah DOPP Farmers Association, said they decided to take up the initiative as part of their social responsibility because the farm had existed because of the Mine. She said, 'the association is made up of thirty-two members but we have been able to resolve this problem. Am appealing to the various farmers group in Chujah to come together and emulate this gesture,' she advised For his part, the special guest of honour at the event, Mr Robert Gyamfi, called on the community to sought strategic partnership with the Mine so they could support the community with the maintenance of the facility. He commended DOPP for the massive show of love for the people of Chujah by responding to this challenge, charged those selected to manage the facility to ensure it did not break down. Mr Isaac Philip Torxe, Deputy Municipal Environmental Health Officer, revealed t hat his outfit had formed a five-member Water and Sanitation Management Team to manage the facility on behalf of the assembly and the community. 'We are expecting the committee to ensure regular maintenance, keep the surroundings clean and open an account where monies from the facility will be paid into it and utilized properly.' Nana Yaw Amoh, Kyedomhene, Bogoso-Kokoase Divisional Council, lauded DOPP for their timely intervention and said the facility would enable the community to have safe drinking water at all times, and also entreated the community leaders to assist the committee to take care of the facility to prolong its lifespan. Briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA) about the DOPP, the Unit Manager, said DOPP was a partnership organization between FGR Bogoso Prestea Mines, chiefs in the Mine host communities and the farmers benefitting from the DOPP. 'The whole concept started with FGR Bogoso Prestea Mine finding ways to impact the community through its Corporate Social Responsibility, so they ins tituted a one dollar per ounce fund which went into the plantation development. When the fund matures, we consult our host community chiefs, they provide land and we develop it into the plantation, and share it among the beneficiary farmers who then become owners of the farm' the unit manager explained. He said the money used to develop the farm at the initial stage was considered as loan and therefore refunded, so they invested it into other operational areas of the Mine. This has evolved for them to have this plantation. 'Now we have eight plantations across the eight communities surrounding the Bogoso Prestea Gold Mine. We have employed over 400 workers and the beneficiary farmers are about 150. Currently we have developed over 1,057 hectors of the oil palm plantation and we are still growing. In fact, we are even looking at putting up a processing mill very soon where we can process here and have a value addition to whatever we are doing,' he added. Source: Ghana News Agency