Several communities across the country are faced with acute water shortage, a situation officials blame on destructive human activities.
Residents in the Northern, Central, Western and Brong Ahafo Regions are left with no option but of trekking miles to access water from rivers that are fast drying up.
Officials of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) have attributed the shortage to drought and activities of illegal miners.
The company, a week ago, was compelled to shut down its plant in Sunyani in Brong Ahafo Region after the Tano River dried up for the first time in over 40 years. Sellers, school children and restaurant operators are the worst hit.
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Reports by Joy News Regional Correspondents point to what appears to be a looming danger if authorities fail to act swiftly.
Central Regional Correspondent, Richard Kojo Nyarko reports that residents in Abura, a suburb of Cape Coast have been without water for nearly three weeks.
He said officials of GWCL have explained the situation is due to the erratic nature of power supply as well as activities of illegal miners.
“The water comes on for a while and goes off, but for the past few weeks people don’t have water,” the reporter said.
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The situation in the Northern Region is more complex, Regional correspondent Hashmin Mohammed reported.
He said the GWCL has been unable to preserve enough water for distribution due to some technical challenges.
Residents of Yendi would soon be left with no option than to drink contaminated water if authorities do not intervene because the Dakar river which supplement water produced by the GWCL is drying up.
The reporter said GWCL officials have promised to arrange for a water tanker to supply the people with water.
“That will mean that the service tankers will have to fetch the water from Tamale and journey to Yendi,” Hashmin said envisaging difficulties with the solution.
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The situation in the Western Regional capital Sekondi-Takoradi is not any different. The Bosomase River is also drying up due to the impact of the activities of galamsey operators.
Residents say the situation has persisted for more than a month and have called on Water officials to address the shortage.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is warning the Pra River in the Western Region may dry up as it has happened to the Tano River in the Brong Ahafo Region.
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Director for Natural Resources at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Carl Fiati said the failure of law enforcers to deal with illegal mining is compounding the problem.
“There will be the need for all to get involved, particularly the security agencies, to act decisively [but] this has not taken place and this is the result.”
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