23-03-2015 WE NEED WATER
Residents of Kewum in the Shai Osudoku District have appealed to the government
to as a matter of urgency provide the community with potable water. According
to them the only source of water for the community is the Volta Lake which has
been polluted by sand winning activities by some community members. Speaking to
Obonu News, the Dade Mantse of the Community, Alfred Tetteh said the community,
for the past three years has not had access to potable water. Kawum is a farming community with the population of about one thousand. The
community has not experienced any development since it was carved out of
Asutuare. The only thing the community can boost of is its accessibility to the
Volta Lake which the residents even share with animals. Mr. Tetteh explained
that although the community has a borehole which was constructed by Water Aid
Ghana, for the past three years the borehole has become faulty, saying since
the chlorine and carbon used to purify the water got finished they are unable
to treat the water making it turn red. The
Watsan Committee Chairman of the Community, Mathew Nartey Apotchie said the
issue of WASH is a major challenge in the area. He explained that aside the water
problem, the community has no place to dispose of refuse saying they just put
it anywhere. He said open defecation has become a common practice in the area
due to the lack of toilet facilities in the community.
When Obonu news visited some surrounding communities within the Shai Osudoku
District, the situation was not different. Some residents were seen fetching
water from drains for their domestic chores. They however appealed to the government
to urgently provide the communities with potable water to help curtail the outbreak
of communicable diseases in the area.
HS END
