By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Nayorigo (U/E), Oct. 30, GNA – Residents of Nayorigo and Tarongo-Awaa communities in the Bongo District have appealed for improved access to potable water and household toilet facilities to address persistent water shortages and the growing challenge of open defecation.
They said inadequate water facilities had compelled residents, particularly women and children, to travel several kilometres in search of water, while the absence of household toilets had forced many families to resort to open defecation, exposing them to various health risks.
The appeals were made during separate community fora organised under the Civil Society Leadership Mobilising for Better Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Project, being implemented by the Builsa Environmental and Water Development Association (BEWDA) with funding support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) through WaterAid Ghana.
At Nayorigo, residents said the few boreholes available were inadequate to serve the growing population, leaving many households without reliable access to safe drinking water.
They explained that even where boreholes existed, the low water table meant residents had to pump for several minutes before obtaining water.
Ms Awine Ake-emah-Kapoe, a resident, said women and schoolchildren were among those most affected, as the daily search for water disrupted household activities and children’s education.
She said children often spent long hours fetching water and consequently reported late to school, while women struggled to return home early enough to prepare meals for their families.
According to her, the situation became more challenging during the farming season when women had to combine household responsibilities with agricultural activities.
Ms Ake-emah-Kapoe noted that water shortages sometimes left families without meals and negatively affected girls’ education because of the time spent searching for water.
Mr Edmond Atule Aduko, a community advocate, said the situation was particularly worrying at the community’s only Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound, which lacked a dedicated water supply and basic hygiene facilities.
He said healthcare workers had to compete with residents at community boreholes for water needed to maintain hygiene standards and implement infection prevention and control measures.
Mr Aduko noted that the absence of a reliable water source at the facility had undermined healthcare delivery, especially services provided to pregnant women and children.
He appealed to the Bongo District Assembly and development partners to provide a mechanised water system for the CHPS compound, together with handwashing facilities, to improve sanitation and healthcare delivery.
Mr Aduko also called for additional potable water sources in the community and support for households to construct toilet facilities to help eliminate open defecation.
Mr McCarthy Aguyire, the Assembly Member for the area, likewise called for urgent intervention to address the water and sanitation challenges confronting the community.
He suggested that part of the problem stemmed from engineering challenges, explaining that some boreholes were drilled during the rainy season without adequate consideration of the area’s low water table.
Mr Aguyire appealed for technical and financial support to help address the situation.
At Tarongo-Awaa, residents also expressed concern about inadequate access to potable water, saying the challenge forced them to travel long distances to meet their daily household water needs.
Ms Theresa Ayamdoor, a resident, said the community required additional water facilities to reduce the burden on households, particularly women, who were primarily responsible for fetching water.
She noted that a mechanised water system would not only provide reliable access to drinking water but also support dry-season vegetable production and improve livelihoods.
Mr Anaba Wilson Asotanga, an elder of the community, identified inadequate sanitation facilities as another major concern, warning that open defecation continued to pose serious health and environmental risks.
Residents also appealed for waste collection materials, including dustbins, to improve waste management and environmental sanitation.
The SIDA-funded project is being implemented to strengthen community-level advocacy and promote accountability in addressing water, sanitation and hygiene challenges.
As part of the initiative, BEWDA and its partners have trained at least 100 community advocates across five districts and municipalities in the Upper East region, including the Bongo, Nabdam, Kassena-Nankana West and Bawku West districts, as well as the Kassena-Nankana Municipality.
The project seeks to build a network of community advocates capable of generating evidence, engaging duty-bearers and sustaining advocacy efforts to address climate change-related challenges affecting WASH services and community development.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Reporter’s email: [email protected]