WATER SHORTAGE HITS TWIN-CITY

Story & Picture: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi
An acquit water shortage has hit the twin-city of Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis, especially those in Sekondi, Kweikuma, Adiembra, Bakano, Essikado and surrounding suburbs.
Residents have to resort to the use of “pure water” for domestic purposes as well as collect stagnant water from abandoned drains to flash their toilets or trek hours with gallons in search of water.
Angry resident in these areas demand explanation from the Ghana Water Company as why they were not informed about the intended cut in supply.
However, officials of the Ghana Water Company have attributed the shortage to the significant drop in the flow of water in the Inchaban and Daboase and a major bust on its 12 and 16 pipes linking its reserves at Kojokrom last week.
That aside, the company said the last flooding has also caused a considerable damage to its equipment at the Bosomase-intake resulting in the shutting down of the place for repairs.
As a result, residents have to cut short their sleep and start searching for water as early as 2a.m.
Some had to walk from Sekondi to the premises of the Ghana Fire Service near the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, and the Sekondi Prisons just for a gallon of water.
Those who spoke to the Daily Graphic said they have to contend with the situation from the end of November throughout the Christmas festivities to the New Year without water.
At the moment the situation is such that early morning schoolchildren and residents had to struggle for very muddy stagnant water in abandoned well behind the Sekondi Mutual Health office and a drain regional office.
According to one of the residents, Mr K Addei for the past two moths the water in the abandoned well had been the main source of water for the people.
“They walk all the way from Essikado to this place to fetch. The water smells but they have no option, my fear is the top of the well could cave in due to the number of people standing on it to fetch at the same time,” he said.
The situation has also pushed the resident to besiege the entrance of the Sekondi Prisons with the Kufuor gallons now named “Egya-atta” for a gallon or two from the reserves of the inmates.
The situation is not different at Essikado and its surrounding communities and the early hours of the day for the past two months had been devoted to the search for water.
Madam Esi Arthur one of the those struggling in the early hours for the sticking muddy water, told the Daily Graphic that Ghana Water should have at least come up with some form of explanation to the public.
When contacted Mr Francis Adjei-Boateng, the Destitution Manager of the company apologized and said the problem was due to the annual low inflow at its intake points, the damage caused to its equipment at Bosomase by the floods and the major burst at Kojokrom.
He said at the moment the 12 inches pipe had been restored but explained that pressure was now building to pump water to the residents of the customers especially those uphill.
Asked what his outfit was doing knowing that it was a perennial problem, he said “that is why we took proactive measure to build the Bosomase intake where even during draught we still collect to make up for the low levels at Inchaban and Daboase.”
He however assured the people that the people that work is at the completion stage at the Bosomase and soon there would be supply to that effect.