Some health workers in sub-districts within the Atewa enclave rely on schoolchildren to fetch water for them or sometimes trek for miles to get water for their daily activities at health centers, a situation which largely affects timely health care provision.

In an interview with Citi News on the sidelines of the commissioning and handing over of 12 mechanized water treatment systems with an e-credit discharging system to 12 cocoa-growing communities in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions by Nestle Ghana and Ghana Red Cross Society at Kadewaso to commemorate World Water Day, the Atewa East Health Director Vida Efua Afful revealed that clients who visit their centers are sometimes prevented from using sanitary facilities due to lack of water at health centers.

“We appeal for mechanised boreholes for the facility. Usually, school children fetch water for the nurses to use for their work. It is really worrying, especially the facilities with midwifery services. Sometimes we have to buy the water. They do not even have a polytank, just small containers, so before the day’s services begin, the nurses themselves have to fetch water to refill the ones used a night before.”

Speaking on the theme “Ground Water: Making the Invisible Visible”, the President of the Ghana Red Cross Society Kwame Gyimah Akwafo raised concerns about the destruction and lack of proper protection of natural water sources.

“It is quite a very depressing situation. Lack of potable water is one, and the destruction and lack of proper utilization of even our water resources is another problem. As I said in my presentation, our attention must be shifted to groundwater, which is one of the most reliable sources of water.”

Mr. Gyimah however called on traditional leaders, community leaders, and the direct involvement of the public to intensify public education on the need to end galamsey and its related destruction to water bodies.

“I think all of us have a part to play, and public education should be at all front and not just the preserve of central government. All of us can be a conduit for public education. We may not be able to eradicate it completely, but we will minimize it and be sure that our water levels and sources will be sustainable for the future.”

Meanwhile, the Ghana Water Company Limited in the Eastern Region is calling on estate developers and private individuals to desist from encroaching buffer zones of water bodies.

According to the water company, buffer zones of the Birim and Densu Rivers are under attack by these developers who are clearing the zones for construction and farming, a situation the company believes has the tendency to disrupt their operations.

The Eastern Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Water Company Limited, Kwadwo Daase spoke to Citi News about a number of operational challenges confronting the company in the region.

“On this day, the key challenge is the payment of bills. Everything about our operation depends on the revenues we generate, so the more we are owed, the more distress we are put in. Another operational challenge is water theft. Our pipelines are also being destroyed.”