By Philip Tengzu
Chagu (UW/R), Sept. 1, GNA – Residents at Chagu, a farming community in the Wa East District of the Upper West Region, have expressed worry over challenges in accessing potable water as the more than 1,500 people depend on only two boreholes as their water sources.
Madam Seidu Brahanatu, a resident, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the two boreholes were woefully inadequate and that women and girls in the community were the worst affected, as they spent valuable time in search of water, inadvertently affecting their economic and academic activities, respectively.
“The two boreholes are far from some of the sections. By the time you return from the borehole, you are already tired,” she said.
“Sometimes by the time you get there the borehole will be crowded, and you have to spend a lot of time waiting for your turn.”
Madam Sulemana Ayisha, another resident, said though the community could fetch water from a stream during the rainy season, it posed a serious health risk to the residents.
“The water situation is worrying us here too much. We in this section rely on the stream for water. During this rainy season, the water is always contaminated, and we can be affected by diseases like cholera,” she said.
“All the animals and human faeces are washed into the stream, but we have no option other than to fetch from it.”
Another resident, Mr Bawa Salim, said the pressure on the two boreholes usually led to their constant breakdown, compelling them to use their little resources for repairs.
He indicated that the situation became worse during the dry season and appealed to the Wa East District Assembly, and benevolent individuals and organisations to go to their aid.
The provision of additional boreholes would not only save the people from waterborne diseases but also help enhance the socio-economic lives of women and girls as well as improve the girls’ educational outcomes.
GNA