Ative residents grapple with water challenge as Fulani herds cause more havoc

Residents of Ative, a farming community in the Ketu North Municipality of the Volta region are bemoaning the lack of portable water in the area as they continue to share the only available source of water with free grazing cattle.

The dugout which is about 4 kilometers away from the Ative township, remains the only reliable source of water for other communities including Kayame, Ahiayibor Korpe, Zomayi and some other adjoining villages.

According to residents, the situation puts their health at stake since they use same water for cooking and drinking.

“This is the only water we have, which we use to do everything at home; we drink it, use it to wash and cook but it is same water that Fulani herds use. We fear for our health,” a resident told our reporter on Thursday.

Another resident, Paul Vebu told Starr News that the situation could spark conflict as the Fulani herdsmen continue to disregard every attempt to ward them off.

“We have issued directives asking the Fulani herdsmen to stop bringing their animals to the dam but the continue to ignore us. They bring the animals at night, you can imagine their numbers, how they urinate and defecate in the water. Anytime you come to fetch water in the morning, you may want to return home without fetching it but this all you’ve got,” he said.

He added that, “I fear that this action by the Fulani people could lead to a fight with the communities soon. We all use this water, we are about six or seven communities -Kayame, Zomayi, Netsikorpe, Ahiayiborkorpe and the four Ative communities all depend on this water.”

Though there are two standpipe boreholes in one of the four Ative communities, only one is functional and can only give a bowl of water to twelve households in a day.

But according to the Ketu North MCE, Anthony Avorgbedor, land owners can only be blamed for the activities of the Fulani herdsmen.

He noted that, the Assembly has constantly advised such people not to give out lands to Fulani herdsmen but they do so with total disregard and then turn around to blame the Assembly authorities.

Mr. Avorgbedor, however, assured that the Assembly has been working assiduously to salvage the water problem in the area.

“We are working hard to solve the water problem in the area. Not long ago, we had an NGO that came to do a feasibility studies for the provision of water attached to the Ative CHPS compound and that would also be extended to some parts of the community when completed,” he said.

He added also that, “There is another project that would see the processing of sweet potato into flour. We are in contact with the investor to make sure that another dam is constructed in the area so we could mechanize it and pump it into the communities for residents.”