DEPRIVED COMMUNITIES IN A/R CRY FOUL OVER LACK OF WATER SUPPLY

DEPRIVED COMMUNITIES IN A/R CRY FOUL OVER LACK OF WATER SUPPLY…DAMAK COVID-19 REPORT
Residents in some deprived communities of the Ashanti Region are calling on government to intervene in providing them with sufficient portable drinking water to enhance the fight against the covid-19 pandemic.
DAMAK Sanitation Watch & Health can report that regardless of the president’s directives to supply free water and subsidy electricity consumption in the hotspots areas in the country, deprived communities in some part of the Ashanti Region are still going through daily challenges in their quest to connected to the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), or have access to the free supply of water. A survey conducted revealed that the following communities are experience insufficient supply of water.
They include; the Ejisu Municipality, Juaben District, Bosomtwe District, Afigya Sekyere East District, Kwabre South District, Kwabre North Districts, and Kwabre East District, and Atwima Nwabiagya north District all in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. (Picture of well) Some of these communities especially the Ejisu Municipal have since creation not connected to the Ghana Water Company Limited and they have to depend on wells as their sources of water supply.
And communities in such situation, the president were directed authorities to mount poly tanks in such areas to enable them have free supply of water. But at the time of filing this story, the Ejisu municipal and its environs are yet to have access to the free water supply. Residents explained that they have resorted into purchasing water from private own-water suppliers and cannot afford again due to the covid-19 restrictions.
The Ejisu Municipal Chief Executive, Madam Serwa Derkyie, affirmed that the municipal is indeed not connected to the GWC and residents depend on wells. But she could not establish to when the municipal will have access to the free supply of water as the president directed.
That notwithstanding, the Afigya Sekyere East District is also facing similar problem when Damak Sanitation Watch team visited the district. Residents could not hid their sentiments stressed angrily calling on the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to enforced GWC to extend the free water supply to them to enable stay save in the partial lockdown.
In response to complans of residents in the Sekyere East District, the Chief Executive, Madam Merry Marfo declined to comment but was quick to relay that her outfit is facilitating measures to resolve the situation.
Fortunately for Kwabre North District, they also depend surely on mechanized water pumps that were freely constructed for the communities by the International Directhelp Projects (IDP) led by Pierre Petitjean from Switzerland. (Watch video below) Speaking to Mr. Eric Tawia, a farmer at Nkwantakese a suburb of Kwabre- North District, he expressed his appreciation to IDP amidst appealing on government to fulfil her promised to supply free water to affected communities for them to also benefit from the national cake.
Video LINK: Video Nkwantakese interview .. attached.
By; Benjami Barnabas Asalimbay & Akgri M. Daniel