'We depend on rainwater to wash hands, open water project for us' - Concerned Youth of Nkroful cry

Angry residents of Nkroful, the hometown of the first President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region rely on rainwater to wash their hands against the deadly Coronavirus pandemic.

The only source of drinking water which serves the entire community had been polluted as a result of the ongoing illegal mining (galamsey) activities in the area.

This River, (Subre River) also serves as a tourist attraction where Dr. Kwame Nkrumah used to bath when he was a child.

Due to the illegal mining (galamsey) activities that started early this year, the Subre River had been polluted beyond recognition and mixed with poisonous chemicals.

In the wake of the Coronavirus, Ghana Health Service and World Health Organization (WHO) had been advised Ghanaians to use potable water to wash their hands frequently.

But a visit to Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's hometown by Danie Kaku over the weekend observed that most residents use rainwater and buy pure water to wash their hands and use some to do other domestic things.

During the visit to the community a water project which could help minimise the situation, had not opened since it was completed.

This water project was constructed by the Ellembelle District Assembly.

Some of the residents lamented on the delay in use of the water project since its completion.

Speaking to the leader of the Concerned Youth of Nkroful on camera, Daniel Johnny bemoaned what crime had Dr. Kwame Nkrumah committed to deserve this embarrassment.

"We the residents of Nkroful we don't know what crime Dr. Kwame Nkrumah did to Ghana because if you look at the hometowns of Jerry John Rawlings, President Kufuor, President Atta Mills, President John Mahama and all the former presidents, we have not seen any galamsey activities going on in their towns and it is only the hometown of Kwame Nkrumah that people are doing galamsey and right now it is uncontrollable", he stated.



He averred that "We all know that President Akufo-Addo has put ban on galamsey and he even put his presidency on line to fight the canker but when that statement was made, it was then the Chiefs of Nkroful, Teleku-Bokazo and Anwia gave the land to people to do galamsey".

He emphasized that they had been informing the District Chief Executive for the area and authorities about the galamsey but he said nothing had been done to stop the menace.

"We have been informing the DCE and we have informed all authorities and they have decided not to mind us and we informed our Assembly Member and told us he can't do anything about it".

The angry youth leader challenged, "You just look at what they had done to our water body, this River is the only source of drinking water for the entire Community and now that the Coronavirus has come, they are saying we should use water to wash our hands".

"We use this stream to do our things but right now they had polluted it and Nkroful as a whole we don't have any potable water to do our things, we don't have water to wash our hands", he worried.

He added that "We only use pure water (made by water producing companies) to wash our hands when we entered into dry season, we were using pure water to wash our hands because the galamsey had polluted our river".

Daniel Johnny stated and claimed that "The only source of water we can use to wash our hands against the Coronavirus when the virus broke into Ghana is the River Subre that the Chief and his Elders have given to people illegal miners".

Appeal to open the completed Community Water Project

The youth leader seized the opportunity to appeal to Authorities to commission the completed water project situated in their market center for public use immediately as possible.

"Right now, our only hope left is this water project here that we could use to wash our hands against Coronavirus, which was completed last year and had been abandoned".

"Right now, we are helpless, we don't have anywhere to go so we are appealing to Authorities to come and open this water project for us so that we get potable water to wash our hands. Because they had polluted our stream so we also rely on the rainwater, unless it rains so that we can store some and use it to wash our hands and use some too to bath", he noted.

He, therefore, concluded by vowing that, "But right now, in case we get the disease (Coronavirus) here, we will blame Nkroful Chief Nana Kwasi Kutuah V, the Assemblyman...and we will put the bigger blame on the DCE Kwasi Bonzoh K because when they started the galamsey we have been informing the DCE and he didn't mind us, he did not do anything about it".

Response

In a telephone conversation with the Chief of Nkroful, Nana Kwasi Kutuah V who was not around as of the time of filing this report has denied of giving any stool land of Nkroful to some people to do illegal mining on it.

He emphasized that "We have not given any land to anybody to mine on it and nobody is doing galamsey on Nkroful stool's land."

He said some residents out of hatred wanted to tarnish his image and his elders.

On Friday's flood which occurred at Nkroful, the Chief rubbished claims made by some residents that it was caused by the galamsey activities.

He said the flood was a perennial one and also attributed it to a bridge which links the old town and new town adding that the bridge was too narrow which doesn't help the water to flow well.

He, therefore, promised his readiness to construct a carnal to allow the water (Subre River) to have a free flow.

On his part, the District Chief Executive (DCE) Kwasi Bonzoh pleaded with the residents to remain calm as he was talking with the ECG to the water project a transformer so that the project could be commissioned for public use.

On the galamsey issue, the DCE reiterated that he was not doing galamsey in the area and promised to flush out the Galamseyers as the Head of the Ellembelle District Security Council.