The people of Mpakadan old town, a community in the Eastern Region have appealed to the construction firm, AFCONS Construction Limited, government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to help provide the community with clean, potable, and accessible water.
The residents are angry over the state of the only source of water in the community.
The yellowish water, the product of a mechanized borehole constructed by AFCONS as a replacement for a well that served as their source of water for the community over the decades, according to the people, is not fit for consumption.
The well was collapsed to make way for construction works on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line with the water system constructed as an alternative to serving the needs of the people but this has not been the case.
The irate residents in an interview bemoaned the poor quality of the water and charged the company to as a matter of urgency provide them with potable water.
One of them, Cecilia Ansah describing the genesis of the problem to GhanaWeb expressed regret that the alternative provided to their known source of water was very bad.
“Before the construction of the railways, we depended on a well but the railway line passes through its location so there was the understanding that they would collapse that well and provide pipe-borne water for us,” she recounted.
A mechanized borehole was established somewhere in 2020 but unfortunately, however, the residents find the quality of water distasteful.
Cecilia Ansah said, “We can’t drink water from the borehole, everyone drinks pure water. The water is yellowish and changes the colour of your soup. When left in a container, certain organisms show up on the surface and you have no option but throw it away.”
Another resident who said they were contracting diseases from consuming the water fears that it could have dire effects on the health of the people in the future.
Ama Ataa dreaded: “The water is bad and gives us diseases and since it was constructed only last year, we don’t know the future effects it would have on us…We are forced to use this because we have no other source of water.”
She ended with an appeal to the government to come to their aid.
Assemblyman for Mpakadan, Leo Oscar said, though the community has experienced water challenges over the years, the current difficulties were overwhelming.
“In fact, we’re suffering. We haven’t had potable water since 1963 but things have not been as difficult as today,” said the Assemblyman.
He appealed to government to consider channeling contents of the Volta Lake to the community for use by the residents.
“If it is possible, government should come and draw the River Volta to the community so that we can get potable water to drink,” he said.
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