Dried up River Dakar in Yendi
A PERENNIAL WATER shortage has hit the Yendi Municipality, home to over 72,000 people, as the River Dakar which is the only water-source for the municipality and its environs has gone completely dry.
This dire situation has greatly impacted on economic activities, with residents having to buy water from tanker contractors.
Those who are unable to afford buying water from the tanker contractors, are compelled to walk long distancesin search of water from Yendi.
In the absence of potable water, some resident are compelled to make do with water from a dam, and activities pertinent to restaurants, schools, hospitals, hairdressers, etc. have been greatly affected by the water crisis.
A restaurant operator, Meri Osman, told DAILY GUIDE that the water crisis was becoming unbearable, as each day they were compelled to buy water at GH¢5 per gallon.
She indicated that having to buy water was quite an expensive ordeal, and that the government ought to come to their aid to enable them have access to potable water.
King of Dagbon Appeal
The Overlord of Dagbon, Ya Na Abukari II, has added his voice to the call on individuals, philanthropists and organizations, to come to the aid of the municipality.
He appealed to individuals who could assist the municipality with machinery capable of dredging the Dakar River, to come forward and assist in alleviating the situation, and to enable the Dakar River to store water whenever it rained.
Ghana Water Company
The Northern Regional Manager of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Engineer Amidu Musah, revealed that the company had to drill numerous boreholes, in order to ensure supply of water to the communities through tanker services.
He attributed the drying of the river Dakar to human activity, such as farming done close to the river.
Ing. Musah revealed that the GWCL accounted for 30% of the Yendi’s total water production.
He said that the overall municipality need of water each day was 10 million gallons and that what the GWCL was currently producing was less than five million gallons each day.
Governments InterventionÂ
In 2020, President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of a $30 million water supply system in Yendi, but the project had since stalled.
The President had revealed that the Ministry for Sanitation and Water Resources and Finance had indeed signed an agreement with the Indian Exim Bank, for a credit facility of $30 million, earmarked for the construction of the Yendi water supply system.
Through the project, Yendi and its environs were to be supplied with 15,000 cubic of water daily, to meet water demand during the period 2021–2040.
FROM Eric Kombat, Yendi