Help bring a permanent end to our perennial water problem; upset Gushiegu residents tell officials
Residents in the Gushegu constituency have called on government and other stakeholders in the water sector to help find a lasting solution to the area’s perennial water problem.
According to the residents, the problem is taking a toll on women in particular who have to travel far distances in search for water, a worrying issue that needs the quick attention of political leaders and stakeholders.
The residents were expressing their worries at a day political party’s forum on water, sanitation and hygiene on Tuesday. The program was on the theme; “The role of MPs and political parties in promoting sanitation and hygiene.”
The forum which was organized by WaterAid Ghana, was attended by representatives of the various political parties in the Gushegu constituency. WaterAid Ghana is an international development NGO whose vision is a world in which everyone everywhere has access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
WaterAid has over the years under taken a number of activities and generated information on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) policy issues in the country and their impact on the overall development of the country.
In pursuit of this goal, WaterAid has therefore during this period of national elections, intensified its campaign on the relevance of safe water, sanitation and hygiene in national development.
The forum sought to create a platform for parliamentary aspirants to share their vision for advancing sanitation and hygiene, demonstrate their commitment to increase financing for sanitation and hygiene in their constituencies, and to enable WaterAid Ghana to partner communities to engage political parties and parliamentary candidates regarding prioritization of WASH.
In the Gushegu district the main source of water for citizens are boreholes, hand dug wells, rivers, springs and ponds among others.
Even though the district has many water facilities, a good number of them are not functioning at all, which means residents will not have access to the prescribed 20 liters per person per day and in some cases they revert to unsafe water sources.
The district has few public toilets and household latrines. As a result, open defecation is a major challenge in the district, which is estimated to be around 68 percent according to the DESSAP (2012-2015 ).
With majority of households lacking access to improved sanitation facilities it is possible that this situation probably accounts for the prevalence of water and sanitation problems in the district.
Speaking to the media, a very worried woman in the district appealed to aspiring MPs and political leaders to stop the political talk and put their talking into action by improving the water situation in the area as well sanitation.
Responding to the concerns raised by residents the constituency secretary of the governing party, the NDC, Mr Alhassana Yidana reassured the people of government’s preparedness and commitment in tackling water and sanitation issues in the district. He, however, called for attitudinal and behavioral change towards the environment if the residents are really committed to ridding the area of filth.
The NPP representative on the other hand, promised to improve the sanitation and water situation in the area by involving more people in Zoomlion to enhance the cleanliness and safety of the people.
By;Lilian D. Walter/zaaradio.com