The two main parliamentary candidates contesting the 2024 election in the Bongo Constituency in the Upper East Region have promised to prioritise the provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects to drive sustainable development. The candidates, Mr Charles Bawa-Duah of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Madam Diana Aburiya of the New Patriotic Party, made the pledges through their representatives at a Town Hall meeting in Bongo, organised by WaterAid Ghana, a WASH focused organisation. Both candidates acknowledged the impact of the high fluoride content in water sources in the constituency was posing to the health and wellbeing of the people and promised to work with other stakeholders to address the challenges. They both pledged to work with development partners to ensure that the Ghana Water Company Limited supplied treated water from the Vea Dam and its treatment plant, located in the constituency to households in the district to help mitigate the impact of the fluoride content. M r Edward Asekere, the NDC Constituency Communications Officer who represented the NDC Parliamentary Candidate, indicated that the health and wellbeing of the people in the constituency was paramount and noted that providing access to clean water was going to be prioritised when elected in the December polls. 'The Vea Dam is located in Bongo and yet we are not benefiting from it, Bawa-Duah thinks that the best way to end the fluoride issue is by getting the Ghana Water Company Limited to extend water supply to Bongo, so he is going to work with major stakeholders to ensure that households in Bongo get tap water', he said. He said, the NDC parliamentary candidate had already drilled boreholes for many communities and expressed the commitment to work to ensure many more communities had access to clean water and sanitation when elected to represent the area in Parliament. Mr Wilson Alebsina Anangine, the Campaign Coordinator of the NPP Parliamentary Candidate who spoke on her behalf, said access to decent WASH was paramount to health and education outcomes of the people in the area especially women and children. He said apart from promising to work with stakeholders to extend the treated water from the Vea Dam to communities in the district, she would consolidate the work in the WASH sector that the current government had already started. 'Already, we have drilled boreholes for about seven communities and we will continue to do so when elected into power. Madam Diana also has a plan to ensure sustainability of WASH projects, to make impact', he said. Ms Fauzia Aliu, the Advocacy Campaigns and Inclusion Manager, WaterAid Ghana, said the town hall marked a crucial step in their collective efforts to address the pressing challenge of climate change and its impact on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). 'The upcoming December elections provide a unique opportunity for us to engage our parliamentary candidates on these critical issues and ensure that climate-resilient WASH remains a priority in national policy dis cussions', she said. The engagement brought together representatives from seven operational areas of WaterAid Ghana, namely Asakolo, Yidongo, Balungu, Aberingabisi, Asakwa, Kabre and Apeelinga communities. Since the start of the fourth republic, the Bongo seat has been handled by the NDC and it is currently occupied by Mr Edward Bawa. Source: Ghana News Agency