This project is made possible through the partnership of WATER CHARITY and the NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION. 
This project has been completed. To read about the conclusion, CLICK HERE.
Location
Ataneata, Brong-Ahafo Region, Ghana
Community Description
Ataneata is a large village located between Kwanfinfin and Weremuso, about 4 hours’ drive from the district capital Sunyani, with a population of about 980 people. The main source of income is from agriculture and trading. In addition, young men and women serve as laborers at various mining sites.
The Brong-Ahafo Region is located in south Ghana. Brong-Ahafo is bordered to the north by the Black Volta River and to the east by the Lake Volta, and to the south by the Ashanti region, Eastern and Western regions, and to the west by the Ivory Coast southeastern border. Some of the languages spoken by the people are Twi, English, Ewe, Bono, and Hausa.
Because this location is a center of mining activity, it has associated problems, such as school dropout and teenage pregnancy. Due to economic hardships at home, a large number of children between 6 and 15 abandon their classrooms for gold mining, to either make a living or make a few Ghana cedis to support their parents.
The few children who are in school also work in illegal gold mining concessions after school to earn money to pay for their own education. They usually do not wear any protective gear and are exposed to all manner of bodily injury, especially to the eyes and feet.
Problem Addressed
The people of the village suffer from a lack of access to potable water. Their lands and water bodies have been largely destroyed as a result of illegal mining activities and the use of heavy chemicals on their land. Illegal mining in the area is plagued by several environmental and health problems.
Several accidents have occurred, and in some cases, people have died from water-related issues. In April 2015, at least 16 people lost their lives as a result of consuming polluted water. This community now needs to transport water from nearby towns, and pay unaffordable prices.
Another serious impact is the health hazards as a result of pollution from gases, noise, and dust. Coal mines release methane which can pollute the air. Sulphuric acid is utilized in the mining operations, which drains into the water bodies, and adversely affects them.
The movements of rock in the case of surface mining impact the land negatively. Craters are left in the areas where mining activities took place, destroying the landscape and lush vegetation in the process.
Deforestation is resulting in changes in the ecosystem which include increasing the levels of carbon dioxide in the air.
The leakage of chemicals into the environment adversely affects the health of the local population.
Project Description
This project is to build a borehole to supply water for the people of Atlanta.
The borehole will reach a depth of about 50 meters. Water will be accessed by a hand pump. Above-ground improvements will include a concrete area, water storage/filtering system and tap from which people will draw water, as well as a channel and soak pit for removal of excess runoff.
A contract will be awarded to a borehole construction firm with experience in the region.
Activities prior to implementation include cost analysis, reading and location selection, geologic and topographic consultation, and preparation of design sketches.
The community will contribute a monthly fee per home toward the maintenance and repairs of the facility as well the unskilled labor needed for project implementation.
H2O Africa Care will provide management, supervision, accounting, monitoring, and reporting.
Project Impact
980 people will benefit from the project.
Project Administration
The project will be implemented under the direction of Nana Kudjoe Kesse, Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer of H2O Africa Care.
Nana previously completed the Ntobroso Borehole Project – Ghana and the Kwanfinfin Borehole Project – Ghana.
We are grateful to Solomon Amuzu, of Call to Nature Permaculture, who is providing additional assistance and oversight.
Monitoring and Maintenance
The community will charge small monthly fees to take care of repairs and other related work when needed. A caretaker will be assigned to perform the management function for the smooth running of the facility.
H20 Africa Care team will do a monthly check on the facility to ensure its sustainability.
Project Funding
The funding for this project has been provided by an anonymous donor.
If you like this project, please Donate, so that we will have funds available to immediately start our next project in Ghana.
Conclusion of Ataneata Borehole Project – Ghana
This project has been completed under the direction of Nana Kudjoe Kesse, Executive Director and Chief Operations Officer of H2O Africa Care. To read about the start of the project, CLICK HERE.
The project, the third by H2O Africa Care, was designed to build a borehole to supply water for the people of Ataneata.
Nana reports:
Bringing you more great news, as we finished the Ataneata community borehole, and they have clean and accessible water for the first time.
The project was to provide clean and accessible drinking water (borehole) for 980 people at Ataneata village in the Brong Ahafo Region (previously, illegal mining community).
The project started by a contract awarded to LEE YOUNG drilling company. H2O Africa then worked with the community to set a schedule, meeting together with the drilling company to decide a location for the borehole.
We had to walk in various areas in the community to find a suitable location. With the aid of ground water detector, a perfect place was located along the main road opposite Sam’s block factory.
Chiefs and elders of the community then prayed and poured libation to ask permission from ancestors for the project to begin.
The drilling company then started the process the next day, and within 2 days they had hit the water table at a depth of 70 m.
The base of the drilled area was then cemented, and a hand pump installed for a full functioning borehole. A concrete tank measuring 20 feet long and 5 feet high divided into 4 different chambers was built to serve as storage and filtering line.
The first chamber of the tank was filled with pebble stones, second filled with char coal, third chamber filled with sand and char coal, the final chamber then serves as pure water storage chamber where fetching is done with the aid of a tap. The idea behind this is to store pumped water in the tank as well filter any unwanted particles that might contaminate the water through three different chambers.
In getting the water from the ground the hand pump is moved up and down to build the pressure that brings the water upwards. The water then travels through a 2-inch PVC pipe connecting the pump and the first filtering concrete chamber and then into other chambers. On top of the chambers are metal plates (anti rust) that serves as a removable lid in accessing the various tanks.
Attached to the fourth tank is a tap where water can be fetched from. All metal parts of the resource were painted with anti-rust, and concrete parts painted with white base emulsion paint with green emulsion finishing to provide protection and beautification.
After all, the elders of the community were informed about the project conclusion, and they came over for a look and tasting of the water.
The village spokesperson, Mr. Agyeman then thanked H2O and Water Charity on behalf of the community for providing them with this wonderful facility.
Thank you once again for funding this project.
We extend our thanks to Nana for completing this important project.
