Students at Ghana Senior High School (Ghanasco) in Tamale have been compelled to depend on dam water for survival due to the lack of potable water in the school.
A visit to the Ghanasco dam by DGN revealed students, after school, trooping to the dam to fetch the contaminated water for consumption.
The Ghanasco dam, which serves various schools within the Kukuo area, has fecal matter scattered around it, with animals drinking from the same dam used by humans. This could lead to typhoid and diarrhea infections.
According to the students, the dam water is the only source of water available to the school, which they use for bathing, and washing their clothes as well as drinking.
“Even though the dam water is not clean, it is the only source of water we can access for drinking, washing, bathing, and other activities,” they said.
The students lamented the situation, adding that spending time searching for potable water before and after classes greatly affects their academic performance.
They called on the government and other institutions to provide them with a reliable source of potable water to enhance teaching and learning at the school.
Efforts to reach the management of Ghana Senior High School for comment on the situation proved futile.
The Tamale metropolis has been hit by a severe water crisis that has significantly disrupted economic activities, forcing residents to purchase water from tanker contractors.
This situation has severely impacted businesses, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and homes, among others.
Residents of Tamale and its surrounding areas have threatened to embark on a demonstration against the management of the Ghana Water Company Ltd (GWCL) due to the worsening water crisis in the region.
Meanwhile, Northern Regional Minister, Adolf Ali John, was compelled to convene an emergency meeting with GWCL management to investigate the cause of the water shortage in Tamale.
According to the Regional Minister, the water crisis poses security threats and urged GWCL management to find urgent solutions to the problem.
Ing. Albert Nyeteng, the Regional Production Manager of GWCL, indicated that the current water demand in Tamale is 90,000 m³, while production levels are only between 35,000 m³ and 38,000 m³, which has necessitated the implementation of water rationing in Tamale and its environs.
He stated that a long-term solution to the water crisis lies in the construction of the Yapei Water project.
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, to which Ghana is a signatory, calls for the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
By Eric Kombat