Sheikh Ali Napari with Chief of Yoggu, Alhaji Adam Yogum commissioning the project
Light Foundation supported by Salam Charity organization, has constructed a mechanized borehole for the people of Yoggu in the Tolon District of the Northern region after a report by DGN online.
The Mechanized borehole can produce about 150 gallons of water a day for a population of 3,837 in the Yoggu community and its surrounding villages.
In December 2020 DGN Online reported that residents of Yoggu in the Tolon District of the Northern region were compelled to share water with animals due to the lack of access to potable water in the community.
A dam that was sited in the Yoggu community serving other villages and animals in the area was contaminated and could cause an outbreak of water-borne diseases.
When DGN Online visited the Yoggu community, it was observed that residents fetch the dam water whiles animals walk into the dam to drink from it at the same time.
A student, Anatu Fuseini, told DGN Online that she walks to fetch the dam water a long distance from their house adding that it affects her education.
According to her, she gets tired after fetching the dam water and that by the time she gets to school it’s difficult to concentrate in class.
“My house to the dam is very far and sometimes you need to go to the dam to fetch the water like 10 times then when you are done you prepare for school and with the school, you would have to walk another distance so you will be tired in school and sometimes even fall asleep in class.”
She appealed to the government, NGOs, philanthropist to come to the aid of the Yoggu community and provide them with potable water which will go a long way to enhance the health condition of community members as well as improving education in the area.
Madam Amina Iddrisu, a resident, told DGN Online that the water situation was worrying even though they were aware that the dam water could be contaminated and can affect them when they drink from it.
“The community and its surrounding villages all depend on this dam we drink the dam water in its raw state not because we enjoy it but we do not have a choice, there’s no potable water in this area we have never seen pipe water and so we manage with what we have.”
Madam Amina said the lack of potable water affects economic activities in the community saying most of the women wish to do shea butter or rice processing business but that is not possible because it requires clean water to wash the Sheanuts and rice before its processed.
“Most of the women in Yoggu are doing nothing to support their families because we tried doing business like shea butter processing and rice processing but we need clean water some of them tried using Potassium alum to purify the dam water before using it but it became expensive and some said it has health effects so they stopped so you see if we had potable water it will be beneficial to us.”
At the commissioning of the mechanized borehole at the Yoggu community, the CEO of the Light Foundation, Sheikh Ali Napari told journalists that one of the foundation’s goals is to reach out to deprived communities in need of water reason they came to the aid of the Yoggu community.
He said information got to them about the lack of potable water in the community and that they visited the community and realized that the situation was terrible.
“ We paid them a visit and the kind of water we saw them drinking can’t be called water so we decided to immediately seek funding and rescue the community.”
Sheikh Napari disclosed that due to the population in the Yoggu community they are planning to construct an additional mechanized borehole to ensure that Yoggu and its surrounding communities get sufficient potable water.
He however appealed to the community to ensure that they maintain the mechanized borehole to enable them to have access to potable water.
The Light Foundation with support from Salam Charity organization has provided mechanized boreholes to about six communities in the Northern region within three months.
The Chief of Yoggu, Alhaji Adam Yogum, thanked the Light Foundation for coming to the rescue of the Yoggu community and its surrounding villages with potable water.
“ they say water is life but the foundation has not just given us water but they are helping to water God’s plans and that is exactly what they have done for us for which we are very grateful.”
Chief Yogum appealed to individuals, organizations to come and assist the community with developmental projects to boost economic activities in the community.
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.
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.