BWL’s Water Production Manager joins group in assisting Lansing’s Sister City in Ghana
Lansing Board of Water & Light Water Production Manager Tim Hyde is a member of a group traveling to Ghana to assist Lansing’s Sister City with water, sanitation and waste disposal challenges.
Hyde, a 19-year veteran of the BWL, will work with officials of Akuapem South Municipality in Ghana, a country on Africa’s west coast. The trip is funded by several grants including one from the U.S. Department of State’s People to People program.
“The BWL is proud to be part of Lansing’s Sister City delegation to help improve health and the quality of life in this Ghanian community,” said BWL General Manager J. Peter Lark. “Tim Hyde is one of our top experts on water production. We are excited to learn what Tim and others discovers on this fact-finding mission, which will eventually help our Ghanian sister city improve its water and sanitation infrastructure.”
Akuapem is a city of about 120,000 people, and is roughly the size of Ingham County. Its municipal water system serves about 40 percent of the population of Akuapem.
A recent international study of water systems ranked Akuapem’s among the poorest in the world. The major water source for Akuapem is a nearby river.
Hyde and others will evaluate Akuapem’s water production and distribution infrastructure, and will create strategies for improving the community’s potable water. They will also work with Akuapem authorities to identify emerging leaders in the community who can help transform Akuapem’s infrastructure and municipal services.
With strategies in place, Akuapem could fund improvements through grants from private foundations in the United States.
Hyde and other members of the Sister City delegation are scheduled to return on November 15.
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