Communities within Tamale Metro lack portable drinking water and sanitation

Over ten communities within the Tamale Metropolis still lack portable drinking water and sanitation facilities

compelling residents to commute several kilometers to get access to drinking water.
This has also resulted to residents in these communities to engage in indiscriminate defecation which is posing a danger to their health.
Humans and livestock struggles for same water for life in these communities.
Fiila News’ visit to Zoozugu, Chesei, Datooyili, Dohini, among several communities revealed that the residents lack portable drinking water and sanitation. All the above named communities depend on Dams for their socio-economic activities which are almost at the verge of drying up.
In an exclusive interview with Madam Hawabu Alhassan, a house wife at Zoozugu, bemoaned the spate of the water crises in the area saying, they have no option than to drink water mixed with urine and excreta of livestock.
She indicated that the peak season for the water crisis within the area is mid-February through March onwards where women have to commute over six (6) to seven miles for water for the upkeep of their families.
During this period, Madam Hawabu says women can only go thrice to fetch water either in the central business district of Tamale or other communities which would not even be enough for cooking not alone bathing.
Even though, how dirty and milky the water seems to look, some residents cherished it to pipe-borne.
According to WaterAid in Ghana, a Non Governmental Organization in water, sanitation and hygiene, 10.5 million women and girls lack safe and adequate sanitation. 2.3 million out of this number do not have access to toilets at all. 4.8 million Ghanaians are said to practice open defecation or “free range” everyday.
According to a World Bank Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) report released in 2012, Ghana’s economy loses 420 million cedis each year due to poor sanitation. This is estimated to be 1.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Tamale, Abdul-Hanan Rahman Gundadoo indicated that attempt has been made to get some of the communities with portable drinking water.
Gundadoo says the assembly has made some funds available in this year’s budget to enable the Ghana Water Company to extend electricity to some of the communities.
By: Saaka Alhassan/Fiilafmonline.com/Ghana