The Students' Representative Council (SRC) of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has inaugurated three automated water stations worth GH¢600,000 to provide students with free drinking water across campus.
The project, which was funded by the 63rd SRC under the leadership of Kwame Ntiamoah Ntim, is expected to improve students' welfare by ensuring convenient, 24-hour access to purified drinking water.
The water stations were strategically located at the Sandwich Lecture Theatre, Parliament House, and the New Lecture Theatre, where students could access water using prepaid electronic cards issued by the SRC.
Commendation
The Vice-Chancellor of UCC, Professor Denis Worlanyo Aheto, who inaugurated the facility, described the project as a landmark investment in student welfare and commended the SRC for introducing an initiative with long-term benefits for the university community.
He urged students to own the facility by using it responsibly and to ensure they were properly maintained to serve future generations.
The university’s management also urged the incoming SRC administration to sustain the initiative to guarantee its continuous operation.
Also at the ceremony were the Registrar, Gideon Enoch Abbeyquaye, the Dean of Students, Professor Daniel Apak, members of the 63rd SRC Executive Board and the newly elected SRC executives.
Electronic card
Explaining the operation of the system, the SRC President, Kwame Ntiamoah Ntim, said every registered student would receive an electronic access card each semester with a preloaded water allocation funded by the SRC.
One of the automated water stations
He said the allocation was calculated to provide each student with approximately 1.5 litres of drinking water every day throughout the semester.
"Every student is going to get a card with an amount of water loaded onto it. Once the allocation is exhausted, students can recharge the card to continue accessing the service," he explained and said students must insert the activated card into the automated system to dispense the required quantity of water.
Mr Ntim said the facilities were not ordinary water dispensers but advanced purification systems which used Ultraviolet (UV) technology to remove impurities and ensured the water was safe for consumption.
He said the project formed part of the SRC's commitment to promoting healthy living, while reducing the financial burden on students who regularly purchased sachet or bottled water.
Water bottles
The SRC, as part of the rollout, distributed reusable water bottles and electronic access cards to students to facilitate easy access to the facility.
