There is a looming outbreak of cholera disease around Buipe and its environs due to the recent flooding in the area.
Some parts of the Central Gonja district of the Savanna Region were flooded as a result of the opening of the Bagre dam coupled with a heavy downpour which caused the overflow of the Black Volta into the township of Buipe.
The situation has resulted in the pollution of the Black Volta with filth and the submerging of toilet facilities in the area.
The water plant by the Ghana Water Company which is used to pump water into the Buipe township has also been submerged and destroyed by the recent floods.
The water crisis has hit the entire Buipe township which has compelled residents to depend on the only source of water, the Black Volta which has been contaminated by filth, and fecal matter from the submerged toilets.
A visit to the Buipe township by DGN Online showed massive filth floating on top of the Black Volta while some public toilets have been submerged with the same water floating into the Black Volta.
Business activities in the Central Gonja district have been greatly affected due to the flood situation which has destroyed properties and rendered thousands of residents homeless.
Areas like the Buipe market, Buipe bridge, the Buipe cattle market, and other business centers in the district have been hit by the floods.
Residents are therefore worried that they are likely to contract cholera, diarrhea, and other waterborne diseases when they consume the contaminated water.
Madam Ayisha Issah, a resident was of the view that they are forced to fetch water from the river due to the lack of potable water in the township.
“The floods have destroyed the water plant that pumps water for us and days now we don’t have potable water and we have to also survive so we depend on this lake even though we know it’s not safe but my brother we don’t have a choice.”
Hajia Kande, a food vendor told DGN Online that she had to halt her food business because they cannot get access to potable water to cook their food and sell it.
“It will be very expensive to buy water from other towns to Buipe just to cook our food and sell so we have advised ourselves that we will close our shops until they repair the water plant and start supplying us with water then we start our business again.”
Buipe Chief
The Paramount Chief of the Buipe Traditional Area who doubles as the Vice President of the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs, Buipewura Abdulai Jinapor Il, during the Buipe Damba festival 2022 appealed to the government, organizations, philanthropists, and individuals to come to the aid of the people of Buipe.
“ The water situation in Buipe is a very serious matter, where are we going to get potable water to drink? Filth and unwanted substances have all entered the river and have polluted it but what can we do the people will be forced to drink it and the likelihood then contracting cholera is very high so I am appealing to the government, organizations, philanthropists, and individuals to come to our aid. They shouldn’t wait until people start dying before they come because we are in a very serious situation and so they should come and save our lives.”
In 2010, the United Nations general assembly declared that the human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible, and affordable water for personal and domestic use. however, the reality is a contravention of the above.
The Sustainable Development Goal
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) VI, which Ghana is a signatory to, talks about ensuring available and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
The global effort to achieve sanitation and water for all by 2030 is extending beyond the household to include institutional settings, such as schools, healthcare facilities, and workplaces.
FROM Eric Kombat, Buipe