Residents of Teyoko appeal for potable water

Residents of Teyoko Community in the Bawku West District of Upper East Region have appealed for boreholes as the source of potable water to ease the water crisis in the area.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Ateyoko, after complaints of water challenges, the residents, Mr Rafiu Ibrahim, a teacher at the community, said the area depended on a well, which often got polluted in the rainy season, posing a threat to water-borne diseases.

Mr Ibrahim said during the harmattan season, the residents struggled to get water for household activities.

"During the dry season, people sometimes wake up around 0200 hours to go to the well to fetch water. If you don't do that, by the time day breaks you won't get water anywhere unless you walk several miles to the nearby community."

"There is only one borehole here but since they drilled it water has never flown from it till date, I don't know what is happening," he added.

Mr Ibrahim said the situation was making women waste so much time in search of water.

Madam Lydia Anugbilla, a trader, expressed the hope that stakeholders would help to alleviate the water shortage situation.

She said she had to forfeit sleep to ensure that there was enough water to keep her house running.

Mr Kudugu Atiah, the Assembly Member for the area said several requests to the Assembly and non-governmental organizations had not yielded any positive results.

He said attempts to get the existing borehole repaired proved futile as assessments revealed that the place was rocky and could not produce any water.

Madam Victoria Ayamba, the Bawku West District Chief Executive, who said the Assembly was putting in measures to provide water for the affected communities.

Madam Ayamba said she was unaware of the breakdown of the borehole in the area and urged committees in-charge of community water to report such cases to the Assembly.