Yeji residents tussle with animals for water

Residents of Yeji in the Pru East District of the Bono East Region are worried about the delays in inaugurating the completed community water project for use in the district.

According to residents, a completed water treatment plant secured by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency is gathering dust because of delays in having the project inaugurated for the use of the community.

Due to this, the residents find themselves sharing the untreated river water with stray animals like pigs, cattle and goats among others in the district.

Narrating the plight of the people of Yeji, Assemblyman for Jimbissa Electoral Area Aliu Mohammed said the situation is worrying because many of the residents drink the untreated river water that runs between Yeji district and Mankango near Salaga in the Savannah Region.

During the era of former president John Agyekum Kufour, a treatment plant was built for the people of the district but was submerged as a result of the spillage of the Bagare dam and since then residents have had to resort to the untreated river water.

Speaking in an interview with the host of the Ghana Yensom morning show Odehyeeba Kofi Essuman on Accra 100.5 FM on Thursday, January 12, 2023, the Assemblyman for the area said on a daily basis, residents are confronted with water-related diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid among others.

He explained that this is so because some residents engage in open defecation near the river body, adding that the area lacks a public toilet facility.

He said some people also rear animals on the banks of the river, creating competition between humans and the animals over the untreated water.

He alleged that the untreated water from the river is used for cooking, drinking, and other domestic chores in the district.

On his part, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Pru East District Assembly, Alhaji Adams Abdulai said what has accounted for the delays in inaugurating community water project for use in the district was the tests being run by the project executors.

He gave the assurance that the testing will be completed for the project to be inaugurated next month.

He denied knowledge of people rearing stray animals on the banks of the river.

He said some boreholes have been earmarked for the supply of water for cooking activities in the district.

He said the chiefs have set up a task force to police the river bank to prevent people from engaging in open defecation along the banks of the river.

According to him, the task force police the area 24 hours.