[ 2017-03-02 ]

Water shortage spreads across communities in four regions
Several communities across the country are faced
with acute water shortage, a situation officials
blame on destructive human activities.

Residents in the Northern, Central, Western and
Brong Ahafo Regions are left with no option but of
trekking miles to access water from rivers that
are fast drying up.

Officials of the Ghana Water Company Limited
(GWCL) have attributed the shortage to drought and
activities of illegal miners.

The company, a week ago, was compelled to shut
down its plant in Sunyani in Brong Ahafo Region
after the Tano River dried up for the first time
in over 40 years. Sellers, school children and
restaurant operators are the worst hit.

Reports by Joy News Regional Correspondents point
to what appears to be a looming danger if
authorities fail to act swiftly.

Central Regional Correspondent, Richard Kojo
Nyarko reports that residents in Abura, a suburb
of Cape Coast have been without water for nearly
three weeks.

He said officials of GWCL have explained the
situation is due to the erratic nature of power
supply as well as activities of illegal miners.

“The water comes on for awhile and goes off, but
for the past few weeks people don’t have
water,” the reporter said.

The situation in the Northern Region is more
complex, Regional correspondent Hashmin Mohammed
reported.

He said the GWCL has been unable to preserve
enough water for distribution due to some
technical challenges.

Residents of Yendi would soon be left with no
option than to drink contaminated water if
authorities do not intervene because the Dakar
river which supplement water produced by the GWCL
is drying up.

The reporter said GWCL officials have promised to
arrange for a water tanker to supply the people
with water.

“That will mean that the service tankers will
have to fetch the water from Tamale and journey to
Yendi,” Hashmin said envisaging difficulties
with the solution.

The situation in the Western Regional capital
Sekondi-Takoradi is not any different. The
Bosomase River is also drying up due to the impact
of the activities of galamsey operators.

Residents say the situation has persisted for more
than a month and have called on Water officials to
address the shortage.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) is warning the Pra River in the Western
Region may dry up as it has happened to the Tano
River in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Director for Natural Resources at the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Carl Fiati
said the failure of law enforcers to deal with
illegal mining is compounding the problem.

“There will be the need for all to get involved,
particularly the security agencies, to act
decisively [but] this has not taken place and this
is the result.”

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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