Regional News of Thursday, 10 March 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2022-03-10Water scarcity hits three communities in Ashanti Region
Some residents of Fufuni, Kokotiesua and Dabaa trying to get water from faulty borehole
Correspondence from Ashanti Region
Residents in communities such as Fufuni, Kokotiesua, and Dabaa bemoan a water shortage within their areas. They are therefore calling for immediate intervention since they're dying out of drought.
The residents, in interaction with GhanaWeb, said they anticipate a serious disaster should authorities refuse to give needed attention to their
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These communities need immediate water support interventions because predictions or warnings signs tell show a disaster may happen in the future.
These communities which fall under the Fufuni electoral area in the Sekyere South District of the Ashanti Region have been facing this challenge for the past three years, the residents have said.
"We are in dire need of water. Authorities shouldn't wait for things to get out of hand before they turn to us," a resident said.
"We're sick and tired of them. For how long do they want us to preach water shortage or lack of potable water before they turn to us? If we're not part of Ghana, they should tell us," an angry resident from Kokotiesua told GhanaWeb.
"None of our three communities has enjoyed any good drinking water for the past years. This groundwater is what we've been fetching for the past years, and when there's no rain for a longer period, you can imagine what happens," a woman from Fufuni revealed.
"We need immediate water intervention because all signs indicate that a disaster may occur in the future. People may wake up one day to witness an uncountable number of deaths as a result of thirst," another resident said.
According to the residents in the aforementioned communities, water scarcity has been a major challenge that has been affecting their daily livelihood.
It was revealed that they have only one source of potable water and that is the only borehole they rely on, and when there's a shortage, they're being compelled to fetch water from untreated and other stagnant water sources. They further revealed that the said borehole has been facing inconsistencies due to a frequent faulty.
The residents are therefore appealing to the government, philanthropists, and other NGOs to come to their aid as they're suffering.
Assembly Member for the area, Mr. Hayford Peprah speaking to this reporter confirmed that the three communities are truly facing a water challenge.
He, however, revealed and assured his people of his commitment to making sure the problem is resolved. He said he keeps pushing for the assembly to provide them with potable water.
"This borehole you see here was provided some years ago, even before my time as an assemblyman. The fact is that it isn't enough. There's a need to get more and I'm therefore using your platform to plead with other NGOs and philanthropists to come to our aid," he said.
Commenting on the frequent fault on the borehole, the assembly member said there has been regular maintenance on it to secure its sustainability.
Meanwhile, Mr. Daniel Akgri, executive director for Damak Sanitation and Health Watch speaking on the issue said it is very unfortunate for people to face a water challenge in this modern era.
He pledged the organisation's effort to get some NGOs on board so that they can provide a helping hand for the said communities.
He however pleaded with the government, NGOs, and other stakeholders to come to the aid of the aforementioned communities.
