PURC’s boreholes shouldn’t cost more than GHc30,000 – Analyst

Government should be spending between GHc 25,000 and GHc 30,000 on its mechansied borehole construction, and not the estimated GHc 60,000 per borehole, a water and sanitation expert, Patrick Apoya, has said. According to him, the intervention government is undertaking, most likely falls under the category of a limited borehole mechanisation per information available on ...

Government should be spending between GHc 25,000 and GHc 30,000 on its mechansied borehole construction, and not the estimated GHc 60,000 per borehole, a water and sanitation expert, Patrick Apoya, has said.

According to him, the intervention government is undertaking, most likely falls under the category of a limited borehole mechanisation per information available on the project from the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).

“As a pro-poor intervention, they will not be thinking about full blown water supply scheme,” Mr. Apoya noted on the Citi Breakfast Show.

This follows the opposition New Patriotic Party’s (NPP), claim that government, through the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), is spending about GHc30 million on some 500 boreholes in the country coming to about GHc 60,000 per borehole.

Mr. Apoya explained that, boreholes could be categorised into three types, that is a borehole fitted with hand pumps, mechanised boreholes and limited-mechanised boreholes.

He proceeded to outline the prospective costs for the various types indicating that, “if the borehole is fitted with hand pumps, the highest you can think of anywhere in the country is about GHc15,000; but there are places where you can even get it at GHc12,000.”

“In such an instance, you are doing all the geophysics, you are doing the drilling, the development, the water quality test and the installation of the hand pump,” he added.

He explained further that, for mechanised boreholes, “if you want to mechanise and put the tap in one location which we call the limited mechanised system, you just put a tower, put a tank (about 10,000 litres) and drop a pipe or two pipes. You could go as high as GHc 30,000 or as low as GHc 25,000.”

Mr Apoya however noted that, a proper assessment of the PURC’s project could only be done when the bill of quantity for the project is made available.

“If you now want to extend to different parts of the community like a mini-pipe scheme, your real cost will be determined by how much you want to do, how far you want to extend, and how many points you want to install. So the only way by which we can know what the real situation is, will be to have a bill of quantities, the length of the pipeline extension they want to construct, the height of the tower, the capacity of the storage tank and also how many pipe outlets they want to install.”

Background

At a press conference on Tuesday, the NPP, said the amount for the borehole construction has been inflated, by the PURC, to enable the Mahama-led administration siphon public funds for its campaign activities.

‘The total cost of the project for the 500 bore-holes are GH¢30million.’ And, no matter where the borehole is being dug, the rate per unit is quoted at GHc60,000. This, ladies and gentlemen, is four times, the market rate,” the NPP stated.

But the PURC defended its decision to spend about GHc30 million in constructing 500 boreholes in selected communities across the country, saying the projects which are yet to commence, are “integrated water systems” saying the cost of such projects are higher than normal boreholes.

The PURC Public Relations Director, Nana Yaa Jantuah, said integrated water systems have a lot of components and cannot be less than GHc 18,000 and thus challenged the NPP to provide contrary evidence.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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